Public Policy

Early Childhood Advocacy

At the 2010 Opening Minds Conference, we asked Voices for Illinois Children's President, Kathy Ryg, and Illinois AEYC's Tonya Frehner and Betsy Mitchell to facilitate an open discussion on Early Childhood Advocacy.

Click here to see footage from this session and find out how you can be a better advocate for young children in Illinois and beyond.

FY11 Budget

Many of you are asking how to help save early childhood education in Illinois, given the recent announcements of cuts to Chicago Public Schools' Preschool Programs.Where Will I Go To Preschool?

  1. Find out who your state and local representatives are (click here or call us)
     
  2. Call your representatives and tell them your stories. For example, if you are a parent, tell them how this will affect your childcare costs and job. If you are a provider, tell them how your job and center will be impacted. Give them details about the individual children and families affected--including your own. Make it personal and don't hold back.
     
  3. Ask your representatives for two things: (1) to pay schools and centers all money still owed from FY10 and (2) to make sure funding levels for FY11 stay the same as FY10.

For advocacy on behalf of early care and education programs and human services outside of CPS, please contact us for tailored guidelines on how to approach your legislators.

Join us on Facebook to discuss how budget cuts are affecting you, and feel free to comment on our Advocacy & Public Policy Forum.

Young children and their families need your voices now more than ever in Chicago and Illinois. Please don't let them down.