PennAEYC
Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children
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Advocacy


PennAEYC's advocacy goal is to provide leadership and support for early childhood professionals, interested groups, families, and agencies to improve the lives of young children and their families through promoting public awareness, support, and funding of high quality early care and education for all children in centers, homes, and schools.


TAKE ACTION NOW!


Find your Pennsylvania state legislators: Legislator Locator


Six Easy Steps:  Advocacy for Everyone

 

1.  Register to vote! 

  • Call 800-552-VOTE for a mail-in registration form
  • Stop in at a legislator’s office, courthouse or PennDOT

 

2.  Find out who your legislators are, and decide which one or ones you will contact.

  • Contact Project VoteSmart at 1-888-vote-smart or www.vote-smart.org
  • Call a local political party office
  • Call or stop by a legislator’s office in your community
  • VoteSmart and the League of Women Voters www.pa.lwv.org/ are two resources for finding out legislator’s voting records.

 

3.  Decide what types of contacts you will make and how often, and make a commitment to do it.

  • Write a letter
  • Send an email
  • Make a phone call
  • Set up an appointment to visit
  • Make a note for yourself on your refrigerator or other obvious place reminding yourself of your commitments. 
  • Jot down in your calendar the dates on which you have decided to take action.

 

4.  Inform yourself. 

  • Learn about the issues that are being considered.
  • Sign up for the Children’s Champions email list.
  • Join the Public Policy Committee of PennAEYC or your local Affiliate Chapter. 
  • Visit VoteSmart, League of Women Voters, or other advocacy websites (see below).
  • Join an advocacy group that sends public action alerts.
  • Visit the state legislative website www.legis.state.pa.us.

 

5.  Make a list of key points.

  • In your contacts, tell your legislator that you are a registered voter.
  • Tell your legislator what is important to you:  your general concerns and desires regarding young children and/or your opinions on specific issues and legislation.

 

6.  Make the contacts that you’ve committed to. 

  •  If you can, get at least one other person to do these six simple steps.

 

DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS.  State legislators and government officials say that they do not hear from constituents on early childhood education.  Visit your legislator!  Introduce yourself as a professional early educator (and a parent, if you are one), offer NAEYC brochures about quality programs and costs, include a personal experience about how quality has made a difference, and ask for his/her views on early childhood education.  Periodically keep in touch, especially when you can compliment the official on his/her support for quality early childhood measures.


 

PennAEYC Leaders in Action 


From The Standard-Journal, Milton, PA:  "Jodi Askins, executive director of PennAEYC (Pennsylvania Association for Education of the Young Child), encouraged local educators to become involved in politics at the Spring Central Susquehanna AEYC Leadership Roundtable. Elected officials have a great impact on the amount of funding education receives, and educators need to be informed voters, she said."  To see the entire article, click here.

 

"Early Care and Education Budget Watch Rally on July 8, 2009.  Approximately 100 ECE Advocates came together for a special budget rally emphasizing that investment in early learning programs now saves money later." 

 

Amber Ruch, PennAEYC President-Elect and Jodi Askins, PennAEYC Executive Director particpated in the event and hold signs in support of funding for early learning programs.

"The Governor's Press Conference on August 17, 2009.  Early Care and Education advocates attended the Governor's press conference in support of the Governor blue lining funding for programs in order to assure that we maintain adequate funding for early learning programs in the 2009-2010 Pennsylvania budget." 

 

Jodi Askins, Executive Director of PennAEYC, speaks to reporters about the need for the state budget to include funding that supports quality early learning and does not compromise the progress that Pensylvania has recently made.  To read her remarks, click here.

  

"The Governor's Press Conference on July 13, 2009.   Early Care and Education advocates attended the Governor's press conference in support of maintaining funding for early learning programs in the 2009-2010 Pennsylvania budget." 


Standing to the left of the Governor are Joan Benso, President of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and Jodi Askins, Executive Director of PennAEYC.  Behind the Governor is Sharon Easterling, Executive Director of DVAEYC, who spoke at the press conference about how many others, including the faith community are supportive of funding quality early learning programs.