Last November, Lakeisha Neal, a 34-year-old single mother of three, got a letter saying there wasn't enough money in the state budget to cover her child care subsidies. A few days later she got another letter, this one from the Contra Costa chapter of Parent Voices, inviting her to join the fight to preserve the subsidies.

Neal called Michelle Stewart, the Parent Voices chapter coordinator. Stewart asked if Neal would come to Sacramento and tell her story. So in December, Neal joined about 60 other parent advocates from San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties on a trip to the state capitol.

Without any formal preparation-just some confidence-building and discussions of the issues in the van-Neal became a first-time public speaker, telling her story to one of the governor's staff members: "I told him I don't have $1,000 in my budget every month to pay for child care-and that I had no idea how I would manage without that subsidy. I just told him what was going on and how it would affect me."

Sixty other parents told their stories that day, some to legislators and some at a press conference beforehand. Before the day was out, an aide told the group that the governor had found $24 million in the budget to cover the threatened subsidies through June 2002.

Founded in 1996 and dedicated to improving access to quality child care for all families, Parent Voices is a project of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Each chapter is hosted by a county resource and referral agency. The stated goals of Parent Voices-leadership development and community advocacy-are intertwined.

Most active Parent Voices participants are single women raising two or more children-a few are fathers or women with partners. These busy parents, many of whom work full-time, do what they're able-most importantly, telling their stories in public.

Parent Voices hosts a yearly one-day legislative training session for its members and occasional other workshops. But the focus is on learning by doing. Steps in the process include:

Speaking out with passion

Parent Voices relies on the passion of parents speaking about their lives-and the personal impact of policy decisions. "The most effective parent [advocate]," says Maria Luz Torre, a Parent Voices founder who's now a San Francisco organizer, "is an angry parent."

"It's not rocket science," she adds. "Showing up is what's really important."

"Watch one, do one"

"I say it's 'watch one, do one,'" says Stewart. "Sometimes parents are nervous to the point of shaking before they speak, but then they do it. And when other parents see them do it, they say 'if she can, I can too.'"

Getting the big picture

Parents get involved because of their own need for affordable, quality child care. But as they meet other parents and learn how the system works, they begin to fight for the common good.

"I see it now as my duty, as a parent from the inner city, to go up and talk to our legislators and tell them what's going on," says Dana Hughes of San Francisco. She became involved with Parent Voices when she was having a hard time finding quality care for her children. She's now an apprentice organizer. "When people who don't live in your community make decisions over your life," she says, "they make bad decisions."

One-on-one nurturing

The key to nurturing parent leaders, say the organizers, is one-on-one contact. "Some parents take time to grow into a new role," says Stewart. "At first they can be tentative and don't want their names out there. So they work behind the scenes." Stewart cultivates their confidence, exposes them to the issues, teaches them how the system works.

When the time seems right, she'll ask for a little more- maybe ask the parent to speak to a reporter who's looking for someone to interview. "Generally," she says, "once they do it, they'll say,'hey, that wasn't so bad!' Then they'll come to me and say 'if you need someone to speak to a reporter, give them my name.'"

Personal support

"Parents always know they can call me," Stewart adds. "And I make an effort to check in with them on a personal level." If she hasn't heard from an active parent in a few months, she'll call to find out with what's going on in their lives.

Parent-run and parent-led

In Parent Voices meetings, participants say, decisions are made by those who show up. Chapters hold frequent meetings to discuss plans for new activities. Parents are responsible for planning the direction and actions the organization will take.

Their current campaign, designed by parents, is called "Not Just Another Budget Item." Parents make a card with information about who's in their family, their budget's fixed costs, and what's left over for things like food.

To build support, members also call others to get information out, call legislators, write letters, staff outreach tables, talk to reporters, design flyers, and help to reach and educate other parents.

Parent leaders recruiting others

As an apprentice organizer, Hughes says, "My role is to go out and reel parents in, get them to shoulder up, mentor them, and let them see that they have just as much right to make decisions as anyone else does."

Success breeds confidence

"When they reinstated that money," says Neal of her experience in Sacramento last December, "I thought it was awesome. It lets me know that they are listening and they do care." 

Keys to success

• Parents start with their passion about their own children's care
  
  
• Through participation, parents learn how their own experiences relate to others'.
  
  
• Resource and referral agencies provide meeting space and other in-kind resources. Parent voices raises money for staff with local events and state and local grants.
  
  
• Organizers work one-on-one with participants.
  
  
• Parents can work at different levels.
  
  
• Parents have ownership of each action.
  
  
• Participants learn the organizing process.
  
  
• Organizers provide child care and food at meetings.
  
  
• The group meets only when necessary-it doesn't waste parents' time.
  
  

Parent Voices Coordinators

Contra Costa: Michelle Stewart, 925-676-5442
San Francisco: Maria Luz Torre,415-376 2900
Alameda: Kim Kruckel, 510-658-7353

www.parentvoices.org