June 2019 Newsletter – Advocacy in Early Childhood Education: Involving Families and Children

One characteristic of high-quality programs is family involvement and there is a great opportunity to engage families in your advocacy efforts. Begin by simply making families aware of the basics of the issues you are advocating. 

  • Create social media posts
  • Dedicate a section of the newsletter to the topic             
  • Send home a letter about the topic
  • Create a lobby display
  • Hold an information night

Provide information about how families can get involved.  This might include adding their voice to messages that are shared with policymakers and influencers. Connect families with organizations such as America for Early Ed, so they can stay informed about issues related to their children’s early education.  Share information about when and where to vote for important ballot measures, school board officials, or state leaders.

Children can also learn about issues related to their education. They can learn about fairness/equality, environmental/community issues, and government procedures while engaging in advocacy on their own behalf. 

  • Encourage children to create invitations to send to government officials
  • Compose letters to officials
  • Produce an informational video to post on social media
  • Design t-shirts that communicate important messages about your issue
  • Write thank-you letters to policy makers after important votes

How have you incorporated children and families in your advocacy efforts?  Let us know on our Facebook page here.

For the main article Advocacy in Early Childhood Education, CLICK HERE

For the article Advocacy Opportunities in ECE, CLICK HERE

For the article Advocacy Strategies, CLICK HERE

For the article Incorporating Advocacy into Professional Development, CLICK HERE