Let's Get Early Childhood Trending

Get Ready for TXAEYC's

ECE Week Virtual Day

March 28, 2019

If the 86th Legislature is the “Education Session,” we want to make sure we are not only thinking about our K-12 education teachers and students,

but also our early childhood educators and young children.

As teachers, directors, trainers, and other stakeholders invested in early childhood, your voices are powerful tools for advocacy to make sure that our State Representatives and Senators consider measures to make quality and safety improvements for young children across Texas.

Find Who Represents You

Send an Email or Make a Call

When you make a phone call to your Representative or Senator or send an email, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Introduce Yourself

State your name, what you do and where, how many children and families you serve.

Say if you are a member of TXAEYC.

Step 2: Explain why you called

Tell your Representative or Senator that you called to share your experiences about what it’s currently like for young children, their families, and early childhood educators on the ground in your state / district.

Step 3: Review the Need and Your Request

Use these talking points and put them in your own words:

Despite the vital importance of high-quality child care to children, families, and the economy, the system has been deeply underfunded for many years.
The reality is that our country needs to invest more in high-quality child care and early learning. Families are often paying more for child care than for housing, and the early childhood workforce is paid so little that over half of them participate in one or more forms of public assistance programs.

These are three important bills that TXAEYC is supporting this session. Depending on your passion and what you know about the interests and committees of your Representative or Senator, use this information to craft your message to their office.

Child Care Safety

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Screen Time

TWC Reporting and Goal Setting

Step 4: Engage the Policymaker Related to their Priorities

Elaborate on why the Senator or Representative has been or could be engaged on these issues.

Examples of what you could say might include:

• As a parent herself, we know the Senator can understand the challenges working families face when trying to find child care that is high-quality, affordable, and accessible.

• An investment in child care is an investment in our country’s economic growth, as well as our country’s small businesses—an area we know the Congressman is particularly interested in and committed to.

Step 5: Offer to be a Resource

Encourage your member to keep young children and families and the early childhood profession in mind throughout this session and beyond. Offer TXAEYC and yourself as a resource moving forward.

Invite your Senator / Representative or a member of their staff to come visit your NAEYC or TRS accredited, high-quality early childhood center back in their district. You could also invite them to join a meeting of your local chapter or other community leader group to hear more about early childhood education.

Step 6: Thank them for their time

Share #TXECEWINS on Social Media

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share, like, and retweet.

Share photos about your own classroom, program, and family using the hashtag #TXECEWINS to get the conversation about early childhood in Texas trending.

Suggested tweets on general early childhood facts and statistics, as well as targeted messages focused on our top three priorities above are available HERE .

TXAEYC | www.texasaeyc.org

(512)215-8142 | taeyc@texasaeyc.org