What is advocacy?
Who makes the decision of what is best for children? Is it parents? Is it teachers and caregivers? Is it the Legislature? The answer is all of the above. Advocacy means making your voice heard on an issue. When decisions for children are made, there needs to be key players at the table. Such players include lawmakers, educators, and of course parents.
As a parent, you know your child best of all and you can identify the priorities that are important to your family. Chances are, you have friends and family members who are also parents and find that many of your needs and priorities are the same as theirs. In fact, you may not be surprised to know that many families face the same needs for support and all parents want what is best for their children. So what can you do to help make your needs known to those “at the table?” You can become an advocate!
How does it all work?
Before you can become a voice for children, you need to know how the whole process works. The State of California has two bodies of elected officials, one being the Assembly and the other the Senate. Each body votes on bills before the bill is sent to the Governor for final approval. There are 80 members of the Assembly and 40 members of the Senate. In each 2-year session, over 6000 new bills are considered to become law. If all 120 members had to discuss a proposed bill before it was voted on, very few would actually go through to the Governor. Therefore, each bill is given to a committee, which focuses on a specific area of policy. Such areas include education, health, family services, and appropriations.
What can I do?
So what can you do as a parent? Well, you can find out more about the bills that are being introduced in a number of ways:
1. Contact your local child care planning council and volunteer as a representative. The Council is a body of child development professionals, parents, and community representatives who advocate for children’s issues both countywide and statewide. You can contact the council at 964-4710 ext. 4473.
2. Contact your State Officials office to get a list of committee agendas you are interested in. You do not have to travel to Sacramento to get involved. A letter from just one constituent can be considered very powerful in affecting the outcome of a vote. Every letter should be addressed the same way:
3. Join an organization such as the California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC). This organization’s public policy committee tracks and advocates for California bills that affect children. For more information, contact www.caeyc.org.
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