Children's Issues

Sticking Up For Early Childhood Programs
Published: December 21, 2001
by: ChildCare ActioNews

Even before September 11, many advocates had begun to rethink strategies for keeping early education at the top of the public agenda. Efforts to advance pre-kindergarten in New York, Florida, and early education programs from New Hampshire to California were being met with some of the toughest state budget fights in a decade.

Then came the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Public concern over education, an issue that had dominated politics for several years, plummeted. Instead, and not surprisingly, national security now ranks as the new top national priority, according to Wall Street Journal/NBC News polls.

What does this mean for child care advocates? That's clearly an urgent question in the months ahead, as Congress considers reauthorization of the massive Child Care and Development Block Grant and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and state lawmakers consider funding for early care and education programs, both large and small. "It's as if we suddenly fell off the radar screen," says Nancy Kolben, executive director of Child Care, Inc. in New York City.

Kolben is hardly alone. Jane Penner-Hoppe, executive director of Wisconsin's resource and referral network, faced a severe budget cut as we went to press. "State lawmakers are having to make some tough choices in this environment," she says. Kim Townley, executive director of Kentucky's early care initiative agrees, even though her program is funded by the tobacco settlement. "At this point, everything will be considered general revenue money and we're going to have to fight hard."

And so it goes around the country. "Clearly, everything is different now, but we must not retreat from our purpose," says Faith Wohl, Child Care Action Campaign (CCAC) president. "If anything, we need to renew our efforts to push both our public and private leaders to address children's needs. Now, more than ever, children need to be kept safe, healthy, and have access to every learning advantage so they can flourish in this increasingly uncertain world."

Others echoed Wohl's conviction, immediately regrouping to map new strategies to keep early education moving forward. "We are meeting this week to think about how to make our case in this new environment," says Margaret Blood, an activist in Massachusetts. She gathered other advocates to hone their message and make their case for a statewide pre-K program in the months to come. "We have to keep moving, but be sensitive to the enormous pressures that the legislature now faces," she adds.

And this, it seems, is the right tack to take. Seasoned political observers believe the cause of early education will likely regain its momentum, if advocates keep up the heat.

"When you look back, you see this has happened to us before," says Phil Sparks of the Communications Consortium in Washington DC. "At the outbreak of the Gulf War, the children's agenda lost its prominence for several months. But it re-emerged at the conclusion of the war."

A New Opportunity? Few even suggest the coming year presents a rich, new opportunity. "This crisis has made people think about what's important in their lives. There's a new emphasis on substance, a renewed interest in how families are doing," says Jack Levine, president of the Center for Florida's Children. "That's a positive environment for our message. What we need to do now is take advantage of this new mood and keep our agenda moving," he argues.

To that end, he and other advocates planned to push for more money and high standards for Florida's pre-kindergarten program at a statewide meeting on education in mid-November. "We expect as many as 350 business executives at this meeting, and they see school readiness as a vital issue. We will keep early education on the agenda there, and at every other opportunity we find," he vows.

How to do that? Child Care Action Campaign spoke to activists across the nation to learn about winning tactics for these trying times.

Here's a sample of the best:

Be Seen. With fewer dollars to go around, now is not the time to retreat. Be a squeaky wheel. Create as large and vocal a presence in your state capitol as you can. In North Carolina, advocates did that by creating a "Tuesday for Tots" program, turning out parents, providers, and advocates from every local Smart Start partnership in the state. "They felt our presence and I think that saved us from worse cuts," says Geelea Seaford, spokesperson for the North Carolina Partnership, which oversees Smart Start.

Be Heard. Don't stop at just being there, however. Do whatever it takes to draw media attention to your cause. The "virtual strike" by child care workers in New Hampshire last winter garnered headlines from the Christian Science Monitor to the LA Times. Such tactics preserved the funding for early education programs.

Be United. "Successful advocates are the ones who assemble a broad-based effort. School readiness, for example, creates a broader umbrella and more supporters than child care alone. You can join with doctors, educators, business people, and even law enforcement to show broad interest in early education," says Sparks. "Studies show that's the way to get more attention and more funding."

Be Strategic. Times have changed, so your message must as well. "We need to put greater emphasis on the aspects of child care we've taken for granted—and not talked about—safety and security," says CCAC's Wohl. High-quality programs help children cope with stress, express emotions in constructive ways, and resolve conflict. The simple routines and safe havens provided in high-quality settings are essential to both children and their working parents.

Be Smart. When legislators say there's no money, comb the budget and find some. In King County, Washington, advocates discovered the Port of Seattle made over $100 million in profit last year, yet still received $35 million from the county's taxpayers—a huge part of the county budget shortfall. That fact gave them a powerful weapon in fighting for child care subsidies. "We think the Port can better afford to take the hit than the families struggling to make ends meet on minimum wage. Families just can't afford the $700 a month in child care costs they'd have to make up," says Barb Wiley, one of the activists leading a campaign there.

Be Organized. Get parents and providers on board, county by county, person by person. That's what's happening today in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and many other states. "We wanted to make sure we had a voice in every community in the state," says Pamela Haines of Pennsylvania's Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children.

The more voices raised, the more powerful the message. "Most political leaders feel there's no reward for being a champion, and no punishment for not being one," says Levine. "Now's the time to change that, by making more voices heard."

This article first appeared in ChildCare ActioNews, a publication of the Child Care Action Campaign.