Thank you to those who reached out to your Senators and made a case for the Child Care and Development Block Grant re-authorization bill. For those who haven't, there's still time to call your elected officials and tell them to vote YES to improve child care quality for working families. Here's what the reauthorization bill does:
creates new health and safety standards for child care providers, including annual inspections.
improves the quality of child care and families' access to care - if a parent loses a job, the states maintain subsidies for at least three months.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi join her young friends, playing building blocks.
Ways to Take Action
Make Early Learning an Election Issue
Last week was buzzing with early learning news. First the House passed the Child Care and Development Block Grant reauthorization bill, with the Senate planning to vote on an identical bill when they come back to Washington in November. Then, NWLC, with MomsRising and the Strong Start Campaign for Children, show how early learning builds our future by inviting children, elected officials and the U.S. Secretary of Education to play with building blocks in front of the U.S. Capitol. Now, NWLC is calling on every voice to support investing in high-quality early childhood experiences. Download NWLC's toolkit and help give children a strong start this election season.
Ideas for Connecting with Children and Youth
Register a Young Adult to Vote
There are many ways to spend time with the young people in your life. Each month, we'll highlight an idea. Here's our first: Register a Young Adult to Vote. Pass on strong civic values to the next generation by encouraging at least one young person to register to vote. An election year is a great time to talk with teens about the importance of making their voices heard. Before registering to vote, create a timeline detailing significant events in the voting rights movements to help show how far we've come in the last 100 years. Personalize the timeline by indicating the years that you voted, with highlights from major elections. Visit http://www.ourtime.org/vote to find your local voter registration form.
Tip of the Month
This month's tip comes from Jen DeBell, Government Relations director for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. We encourage you to take this national news and share it locally. Here's Jen's advice: "There is no adequate state-only solution to improve access to early learning opportunities. State advocates' voices are also critical at the federal level so federal administrators and our members of Congress are aware of how proposed policies or legislation could impact Pennsylvania children. This is why the Strong Start for America's Children legislation, which recognizes using a state/federal partnership to expand early learning services, is so important."
Miguel and his wife, Maria, have four grandchildren and they live in New Jersey. He has been an advocate for quality early education for many years. His particular focus has been providing healthy options for children in all settings. Miguel has lived in Puerto Rico, New York, Pennsylvania and now resides New Jersey. He enjoys opportunities to work in coalition for children. He is committed to telling everyone he can that it is time to stand up for children! "What we need is a new tax education foundation bill just for kids," Miguel explained. "We can't wait for a new governor to put money into education. This should be the country's top priority -- education first."
We want our Seniors4Kids Alert to be a real resource to you. Have an advocacy opportunity in your state that you would like to share? Contact Yvonne T. Friend at [email protected]. Also, please share this newsletter with fellow supporters of children so they stay up-to-date. If you received this newsletter from a colleague or friend, sign-up to stay connected.
Best,
Alan King
Communications Specialist
Generations United
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