CAAEYC Public Policy in Action

    CAAEYC Public Policy in Action

    JeanGoulart.jpg
    Jean Goulart

    The CAAEYC Public Policy Committee (PPC), led by Chair Jean Goulart, is working to execute aspects of our new strategic plan. One strategic goal we desired to implement in 2018 is to begin providing public policy/advocacy training to meet the needs of local chapters.

    On June 2, 2018, members of the public policy team conducted their first training presentation with a local chapter. In partnership with the San Diego-Imperial Chapter of CAAEYC, Public Policy Committee members James Moses and Juliet Pailes provided training presentations that included:

    • Current budget and legislative overviews.
    • What advocacy is, why it is important and why members of the field and CAAEYC are the best advocates?
    • How advocacy can be conducted with specific examples.
    • Where and how to find data and other local/statewide data to support advocacy work.

    The public policy training session was one of several provided to members during the Chapter’s annual conference.

    In other areas of public policy, the CAAEYC Public Policy Committee has been actively advocating from a budget and legislative perspective to promote access, for all children birth through age 8, to high-quality early care and education opportunities. On our own and in partnership with members of the field, CAAEYC team members have participated in the following advocacy work.

    • Here is a sampling of legislative/advocacy news and bill status. Congress demonstrated that child care is essential to the well-being of children, families and our country through a substantial increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant funding for $5.2 billion for the two-year period. Child Care for Working Families ACT would address the current early learning and care crisis by ensuring that no family under 150% of state median income pays more than seven percent of their income on child care. AB 2292 will improve access to quality infant and toddler care in California by increasing the adjustment factors for the Standard Reimbursement Rate. AB 2001 takes a first step in providing for consistency in implementation of these programs statewide and is a valuable tool as we move forward in providing the highest quality of child care options for families, especially those with infants and toddlers.
    • The PPC met many members at our annual CAAEYC Conference in Pasadena offering voter registration for this year’s election acknowledging, the importance of every voter’s vote.
    • CAAEYC hosted Early Learning Advocacy Day (ELAD) on March 2, 2018, where we provided training to 60 early learning professionals and briefed state legislators on why high-quality early learning programs are an essential investment for California and the nation.
    • In March 2018, CAAEYC members participated in NAEYC’s Public Policy Forum in Washington, DC to learn about federal and state early childhood policies, gain resources and information to better inform effective advocacy, and meeting with our local legislators. We had opportunity to meet with members of Congress to discuss CCDBG, Child Care for Working Families Act, and California legislative bills listed within the first bullet.
    • Since March 2018, CAAEYC has submitted several letters, providing input on legislation and budget issues, to our local elected officials. Visit the CAAEYC Public Policy webpage for updates.
    • Since February 2018, CAAEYC team members have participated in shared advocacy events/efforts with NAEYC, the ECE Coalition, California Child Development Administrators Association (CCDAA), First 5 Association of California, Child Care Aware of America, and other state organizations with a shared vision around early childhood education and child care issues.

    The CAAEYC Public Policy Committee looks forward to meeting the needs of our CAAEYC members. You can help us by reaching out to share your observations, insights, or concerns around advocacy and public policy. If public policy is a passion for you, we urge you to consider joining our team.

    The PPC holds a conference call meeting on the second Monday of every month. We invite you to join us in exploring the how and why you need to be the voice for children.

    For more information or to join our team, please visit the CAAEYC Public Policy webpage for updates or contact Jean Goulart bundleofjoy.jean@att.net.

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