Advocacy opportunities

 

* indicates new or updated listing, last updated October 12, 2010. A listing does not constitute an endorsement by AAC.

Advocacy events and policy summits

 

* Jan 12, 2011: California Working Families Policy Summit will present legislative priorities for working families. Topics include health care, welfare, nutrition, and child care. Sacramento. Registration available in November. For more information, contact the California Center for Research on Women and Families, summit@ccrwf.org

* Jan 2011: Child care and development state budget policy workshops will discuss legislative and budget processes, child care legislation, policy, and advocacy activities. Jan 25: Oakland, Jan 20: Sacramento, Jan 27: LA, Jan 28: San Diego. Sponsored by On the Capitol Doorstep, CDPI, and CDF California. For more information, contact OTCD, 530-297-5420; http://www.otcdkids.com/Budget.html

 

State Budget

 

Budget update

Governor's Proposed Budget, from the California Budget Project, reports on steep proposed cuts to health programs, CalWORKs, child care, schools, and other programs. The budget also assumes an additional $6.9 billion in federal funds -- if the state doesn't get these funds, it proposes to eliminate CalWORKs and Healthy Families and make deeper cuts.

Advocates are mobilizing to fight the proposed cuts:

[last updated 2-8-10]

 

Federal budget and policy

 

Babies and the Budget is an advocacy tool from Zero to Three about the budget process and how to get involved.
[last updated 12-3-07]

Fair Recovery, from the Insight Center, offers resources to help advocates push for an equitable and fair economic recovery, including targeted assistance for families and communities hardest hit by the economic crisis.
[last updated 7-21-09]

 

Elections

 

Voter participation resources
The Children's Advocate offers resources for organizations working with children and families to help them persuade parents and others to vote:

 

Ongoing Campaigns

Multi-issue

 

Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network is bringing together organizations and parent leaders from around the Bay Area to build a stronger parent voice in the decisions that affect the well-being of children and families. For more information, contact PLAN, Melia Franklin, (510) 531-7526
[last updated 8-3-04]

Children's Defense Fund urges people to call on Congress to protect children's programs from budget cuts. Provides information, advocacy tools, and resources.
[last updated 10-28-05]

Clearinghouse on Expanding and Sustaining Youth Programs and Policies, from the Finance Project and the Forum for Youth Investment, is an online database with tools, policies, financing strategies, and technical assistance resources related to programs and policies for children and youth.
[last updated 5-2-07]

Cost of War, from the National Priorities Project, estimates the cost of war in Iraq -- and how many children could have gone to Head Start or gotten health insurance if the US had spent those funds on social programs instead.
[last updated 2-5-07]

Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully (LINKS), from Child Trends, is an online guide to over 200 effective programs for children and youth.
[last updated 11-1-07]

Moms Rising is calling on policymakers to support family-friendly policies that invest in mothers, children, and families. Includes advocacy tools.
[last updated 6-1-06]

 

Child Care and Early Care and Education

 

Call to action on early care and education
Parents, teachers, and providers are strongly encouraged to give input on plans for a statewide early care and education quality rating system. The ELQIS Advisory Committee invites you to share your ideas about how this system could help parents find quality care and help teachers and providers strengthen their programs. For more information, contact Roberta Peck, 916-322-4269, rpeck@cde.ca.gov, or visit www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/sb1629calendar.asp
[last updated 4-12-10]

Children's Defense Fund offers tools for contacting federal lawmakers and media about the need to support new investments in child care.
[last updated 7-8-02]

Framing Early Childhood Development, from Zero to Three, offers tips for developing effective messages about policy issues that affect infants and toddlers.
[last updated 7-6-07]

Prekinder: Aprendiendo a aprender, from Pre-K Now, is a site for Spanish-language families about early care and education.
[last updated 11-1-07]

Starting At 3 offers advice and support to lawyers, activists, and policymakers working on "preschool for all" mandates in states around the US.
[last updated 11-29-04]

Support early learning in the federal budget: Preschool California is asking people to call on Congress to support President Obama’s early childhood budget proposals. President Obama’s FY 2011 budget proposal builds on his commitment to a comprehensive Zero to Five plan. It includes an additional $989 million for Head Start and Early Head Start, an additional $1.6 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, support for Early Learning Challenge Fund legislation ($8.9 billion over 10 years), and $210 million for Promise Neighborhoods. Contact Congress by sending a letter through Preschool California’s online action center, www.preschoolcalifornia.org (click on “Take action on the 2011 budget”)
[last updated 4-12-10]

Working for Quality Child Care's new website provides information on early care and education workforce development and ways to get active in advocacy efforts.
[last updated 4-12-10]

Zero to Three Policy Network offers tools and resources for infant-toddler professionals on how they can use their knowledge and expertise to impact public policy.
[last updated 6-1-06]

 

Health

 

Californians For Healthy Kids is a coalition of teachers, teachers, businesses, parents, health providers and community leaders around California that are working to ensure that all children have affordable insurance.
[last updated 12-23-04]

Center for Science in the Public Interest provides information and tools that people can use to advocate for more funding for nutrition and activity programs, as well as laws that improve school foods and limit junk-food marketing to children.
[last updated 1-31-05]

Children's Health Coverage Conversation, from the Children's Defense Fund, offers talking points about the need for children's health insurance by presenting sample conversations between advocates and their friends and family.
[last updated 6-9-08]

Environmental Nutrition and Activity Local Policy Database, from the Prevention Institute, is an online database of local-level and school district policies that aim to improve healthy eating and activity.
[last updated 8-7-06]

Health Care for America Now is a national campaign bringing people together to demand quality, affordable health care for everyone. Supporters include national and community-based activist organizations, labor, health professionals, and faith-based organizations. The California campaign will continue to press for state-based health reform. For more information, contact Health Access
[last updated 7-9-08]

The 100% Campaign and PICO California are collecting stories from families about the importance of affordable children's health coverage. They plan to use these stories in talking with the media, at legislative hearings, and at other public forums. A survey is online in English and Spanish, results will be released at an event in Washington DC in early summer. For more information or to participate, contact Robin Smith, 877-866-2650 or Rebecca Stark
[last updated 5-1-09]

THRIVE, from the Prevention Institute, is a web-based tool to help communities identify and support factors that improve community health and reduce disparities.
[last updated 12-4-06]

Your Truth Aloud! is an opportunity to speak out for children's health coverage. The Children's Defense Fund is asking people to record and submit short videos about why kids need health coverage -- and to collect stories from others in their community.
[last updated 10-6-08]

 

Schools and School-age Children

 

EdWeek Map Viewer is an online tool that allows users to view and compare education statistics from their school district with other districts, California, other states, and the US.
[last updated 7-6-07]

Give Kids Good Schools is a campaign by the Public Education Network to build support around the US for improving quality in all public schools.
[last updated 9-6-06]

New Leaders, New Directions: Tools for Advancing an Early Childhood Agenda for the Latino Community, from the National Council of La Raza, is a toolkit on developing an advocacy plan to help make sure Latino children and children learning English do well in school.
[last updated 9-22-09]

Parents Ready for School, from the Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network, is a six-week curriculum designed to help parents navigate the public school system and advocate for their children's success in school.
[last updated 9-22-09]

Waste-Free Lunch is an opportunity to educate students, parents, and school staff about the need to reduce trash -- and promote reusable containers, utensils, and napkins, as well as recycling.
[last updated 12-23-04]

 

Welfare, family income, and poverty

 

Advocates' Toolkit, from For an Economy that Works for All, provides resources for re-framing issues that affect low-income workers to better win public support.
[last updated 10-1-03]

End Poverty in California, a campaign by PowerPAC, is an effort to inform, educate, and mobilize Californians around an anti-poverty, pro-family agenda.
[last updated 10-28-05]

Mothers Matter, Caregivers Count Campaign, sponsored by the National Organization of Women, is an opportunity to call for economic justice for mothers and caregivers through action in the workplace, in the legislature, and against media bias.
[last updated 7-6-07]

Paid Family Leave Collaborative, from the Labor Project for Working Families, is educating workers, new parents, and non-native English speakers in California about their rights to paid family leave benefits. Offers legal trainings, workshops, and in-services, as well as sample newsletter articles and information sheets.
[last updated 11-29-04]

Reducing Poverty, Building Prosperity has compiled links to guides, case studies, online tools, reports, and organizations working on a number of topics to help communities tackle poverty.
[last updated 7-6-07]