Child care advocates in Wyoming are celebrating a major legislative victory. After years of setbacks, the state secured the most funding for developmental preschools in over a decade. The passage of SF 19 marks a significant shift. The Wyoming Women’s Foundation, who advocated for the bill’s passage, credits a new messaging approach and strategy to its success.
Child development centers provide care for all children up to age five and specialized services for children with developmental delays and disabilities at no cost to their families. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that all children with disabilities receive early intervention services, such as speech and language therapy and special education services, in order for a state to comply with federal law. Despite this legal obligation, lawmakers in Wyoming have a long history of underfunding child development centers, and advocates have faced a tough road. Funding requests were repeatedly made and denied. Even when money was awarded, more was always needed, and child development centers remained chronically underfunded.
SF19 was once a top target for legislators to oppose, but this session there was a breakthrough and the bill overwhelmingly passed. So, what changed?
- Child development centers partnered with a former state legislator to lobby for the bill.
Child development centers previously had a limited presence in the state legislature but became more organized when their survival depended on their advocacy. Directors testified that their operating dollars were running out and their centers were in jeopardy of permanent closure. In this pivotal moment, the centers came together to sound the alarm and recruited former Wyoming State Representative Andy Schwartz to aid their lobbying efforts. According to Rebekah Smith Hazelton, Director of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, behind-the-scenes advocacy from a trusted voice and a familiar face helped build support for the bill.
“I find that the most success in the legislature comes by building relationships with people that have good relationships with the decision-makers… It is key to find those allies that have even more access to legislators, and they can help us learn to strategize,” said Smith Hazelton. She believes that some of the most instrumental work to pass the bill involved Schwartz because of his deep understanding of how the legislature functions and what type of messaging is most effective.
- The messaging shifted.
According to Micah Richardson, Associate Director of Policy at the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, advocates put special education at the forefront of their messaging and spent more time discussing its importance than in prior legislative sessions. They underscored that children with developmental disabilities and delays need trained professionals and dedicated resources, and argued that child development centers provide vital services that traditional child care providers cannot.
Due to past opposition to funding requests, advocates also focused on reframing the economic conversation. They worked to shift the perception of child development centers from a cost or strain on state resources to an economic investment. Proponents of the bill emphasized that investing in child development centers now can prevent further interventions and future costs for the state. High-quality early childhood programs can result in better behavioral patterns and reduced likelihood of arrest and incarceration. Smith Hazelton also emphasized that early intervention can play a role in how independent children will be once they are adults, whether they will be able to support themselves, and whether they will be able to contribute economically.
“The narrative being put forth was one of dollars and cents. That is usually an argument that works well in Wyoming — what is going to be the most efficient economically,” said Smith Hazelton. “This is actually a deal for the state. It is well worth the investment,” she added.
- Testimony from parents helped to shift perceptions and humanize the issue.
Numerous parents testified about the importance of child development centers this session, including Smith Hazelton, whose son receives services from a center in Laramie. The former President of the Wyoming Business Alliance, whom Richardson describes as well respected in the state legislature on both sides of the aisle, also testified in favor of the bill and shared how impactful child development centers and their programming have been for her child. Richardson believes hearing this information directly from parents, especially those they already know and trust, was especially meaningful for legislators. “Involving those voices of the people who are impacted is so helpful,” she added.
The passage of SF 19 provides $12 million in critical funding that moves Wyoming’s child development centers out of crisis mode and allows them to keep their doors open. It also adjusts how funding is calculated in the future, reducing the likelihood of shortfalls. Advocates did not encounter the obstacles they initially expected during this legislative session, but their work is not over. They will return to the legislature, but now with newfound confidence. “We know the messaging, what we need to do, and what information needs to be provided to those legislators to get them, hopefully, on board. I think that the progress made this year can be carried over in a really effective way,” said Richardson.
Advocates everywhere can adopt some of the lessons learned in Wyoming: Build strong relationships with policymakers to understand their values, embrace messaging that speaks to those values, empower those most closely connected and most impacted by the issue to get involved in advocacy, and encourage trusted voices to deliver the message.
