SEPECC Meeting Tuesday, April 14, 2020
9:00 Welcome Age genda 9:05 OCDEL and ELRC-18 Updates 9:35 Advocacy Training Announcements: • All participants on the call will 10:15 Community Partner Updates automatically be muted. • Questions for speakers can be shared in the chat box. • This meeting will be recorded, 10:50 Self-Care Moment the recording will be available at www.firstup.org/covid-19 by end of day. 10:55 Next Steps and Closing
Updates from OCD CDEL and ELRC RC-18 18 Karen Grimm-Thomas, OCDEL c-kgrimmth@pa.gov & Diane Getzinger, ELRC-18 dgetzinger@caringpeoplealliance.org
Advocacy T y Training Elizabeth F Farwel ell-Ozer Elizabeth.ozer er@firstup.org Shirle irlee H Howe shirlee eeh@pccy.org
ADVOCACY IN THESE TIMES M AG N I F Y YO U R VO I C E
What is advocacy? the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal the act or process of advocating Advocacy is not a stationary concept. something people who make decisions rely on other individuals to It’s about getting involved! assist in the decision making process advocacy provides an Does it look different now? opportunity for you to lend your voice to the process
Not really, it’s just become more focused on ways to support the early childhood education community during the Covid-19 crisis. Step 1: Identify a cause – SAVE the child care sector Step 2: Review stimulus recommendations for child care industry Step 3: Tell your own story about how this crisis has affected you Step 4: Identify your legislators and those in leadership and reach out to them (www.legis.state.pa.us) Last step: Take action!
PA General Assembly Website—https://www.legis.state.pa.us/ PCN's Civics 101 (more detailed videos of lawmaking process)—https://pcntv.com/civics- 101-vod/
WHO IS INVOLVED IN ADVOCACY? • Policy makers -Your own representatives & legislative leaders in Harrisburg • Constituents - Residents/voters in policy makers’ districts • Coalitions/Campaigns - Us! - SEPECC , Pre-K for PA , Start Strong PA • Organizers - Many of us! - People who plan (virtual) strategies related to our cause • Mobilizers - Again, many of us! People who chorale other people and groups to get together to support our collective positions on issues • Media - Social media, newspapers, radio • Public - Communities - providers, teachers, parents, like-minded organizations & other interested stakeholders
WHAT CAN I DO TO ADVOCATE? 1. Call legislators’ district offices 2. Take to social media w/your own content and posts/tweets from the campaigns & others 3. Write letters to legislators and op-eds to local papers 4. Coordinate efforts with others in your networks (ie. organize a legislative call w/a group of providers, co-sign an op-ed, involve parents)
YOUR NEXT STEPS Call Your Elected Officials • You can call your local members of the Pennsylvania State Legislature and tell them to make saving the child care sector their top priority. People who live in Philadelphia can also call their local member of City Council and tell them to support expanding opportunities to help child care providers during this crisis. Don’t know who they are? Look up your legislators at www.legis.state.pa.us. • Get on Social Media • Use the campaigns’ twitter handles (@PreK4PA, @StartStrongPA) to reach a broader audience and incorporate the hash tags #ChildCare and #StrongerTogether when you tweet. Facebook is also an effective tool to reach a larger audience, including your own network, legislators and advocacy groups. Send a Letter to Your Elected Officials • Writing a letter directly to your elected official is a great way to let them know that you demand that they commit to helping child care providers and the children and families they serve as a condition of your vote.You can write a personal letter or you can sign on to a letter drafted by the Start Strong PA campaign. Write to Your Local Newspaper • Writing a letter to the editor or op-ed to your local newspaper is a great way to raise awareness about this important issue during the Covid-19 crisis. They are read by lawmakers, action groups and citizens and can help play a role in shaping policies to benefit the child care sector and our region’s children.
THE CALL Introduce yourself to the policy maker: Good morning. Thanks for taking my call. My name is Mary and I’m a constituent and small business owner in your district. State the problem as a personal story: I’m a child care provider in West Philadelphia and I’ve had to close my small business due to the current Covid-19 crisis. Although I was able to retain and pay my staff for the first two weeks, I am no longer able to do so and recently laid off most of my staff. I never thought I’d find myself in this situation. I’m struggling to identify help I may be eligible to receive in order to reopen my business when the crisis subsides. I was heartened to hear of economic stimulus recommendations to benefit child care providers being considered in Harrisburg. I’m calling to urge your support of these measures. Create a context for the conversation using a point of common agreement: I think you’d agree that the child care industry must remain viable for when businesses reopen and parents return to work. It’s been my life’s work to care for and educate young children. The child care sector must remain whole to accommodate children coming back to our programs when their parents resume their work schedules. State your position and ask about theirs: I support the economic stimulus recommendations to benefit child care providers. What’s your position on supporting the child care sector during the current crisis? Would you support these measures as part of the budget stimulus package?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR I’ve owned and operated __________ Center since _____. Since then I’ve earned ______ degree, and achieved a STAR 4 rating, which is the highest quality rating in Pennsylvania. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, like so many of my colleagues in early learning, I’ve had to close my child care center – where I also provide high-quality Pre-K Counts classes. I want nothing more than to be able to re-open when this health crisis has passed, and provide child care and early learning in a caring and high-quality environment for the ___ families I serve – all of whom are counting on me to return to work. This is a really important way our early learning system is connected in Pennsylvania. Did you know that 48% of Pre-K Counts kids are served by STAR 3 and 4 child care providers? I’m writing today with my community in mind, and in response to your article ___________ published on April 10 th . How will our economy recover if child care centers are closed for good? The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the fragility of the system – we’ve always operated on the slimmest of margins, but this will force so many to shut their doors for good – we could lose up to half of the child care capacity in the state! We are all doing our best to keep people safe by closing down our businesses. The likelihood of these valuable community assets – offering families high-quality child care and pre-k – reopening without some support is very low.
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