Simple Strategies for Effective Advocacy

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September 9, 2006 Child Care Issues and the State
of Texas
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Who Are We? One Change With Your Wand
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80th Texas Legislative Session

• Spring School Finance Session creates a budget
  shortfall-possibly 5 billion
• Health and Human Service Agencies have been asked
  to cut 10
• DFPS cut Prevention and Intervention
• TYC cut parole services
• Juvenile Probation cut community corrections

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Texans Care 2007 Legislative Agenda

• Early Care and Education Issue Area
• Increase state general revenue funding of child
  care licensing and monitoring activities. Use the
  4 of CCDF dollars for quality improvement
  activities.
• Invest additional funding in pre-K
• Use state or federal funds to increase provider
  reimbursement for those who care for infants and
  toddlers.

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Better Baby Care State Advocacy Project

• The Future of Children Journalwww.futureofchildre
  n.org
• Better Baby Care Campaignwww.betterbabycare.org
• VOICES for Americas Childrenwww.voicesforamerica
  schildren.org
• ZERO TO THREEwww.zerotothree.org

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Infant and Toddler State Rankings

• Prenatal Care 37th in 2003
• Low Birth Weight 21st in 2003
• Infant Mortality 22nd in 2003
• Immunizations of children
• (aged 19-35 months) 46th in 2004
• Pregnancy among girls 15-19 48th in 2003
• (tied for last)
• Federally funded child abuse
• neglect prevention services 17th out of
  35 in 2003

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Early Care and Education Facts

• 3 of TX child care centers accredited in 2005.
• 8 of U.S. centers are accredited.
• TX requires minimum of 8 hours pre-service
  training for caregivers.
• TX requires minimum of
• 1,500 hours for cosmetologists.
• TX requires minimum of 1 caregiver to 9 children
  (ages 18-23 months).
• NAEYC recommends ratio of 14 or 15.

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Texas Rankings

• Child Poverty 46th in 2005
• Children with Health Insurance 49th in 2005
• Physician Availability 40th in 2003
• Per capita spending on public
• child welfare system 47th in 2005

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Other Texas Facts

• Estimated 35,000 children on TX waiting lists for
  child care subsidies in 2005.
• One in every four Texas children was poor in
  2004.
• Only 15 of children estimated to be eligible for
  public mental health services in 2004 received
  care.

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What is Advocacy?
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Why advocate?

• No one can tell your story better than you can.
• You know more about your issue than anyone else.
• If you dont act, someone will act for you and
  you may not like the results!

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Nonprofit Lobbying

• MYTH Nonprofits cant lobby.
• Reality Yes they can!
• Lobbying1) COMMUNICATION2) with LEGISLATOR,
  sometimes via public3) asking for action on
  SPECIFIC LEGISLATION
• Without these three, its not lobbying!

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Nonprofit Lobbying

• Not lobbying information / education
  responding to reps request for info
• Alliance for Justice www.afj.org
• Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest
  www.clpi.org
• Register with Texas Ethics Commission
  www.ethics.state.tx.us

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Working WithElected Representatives
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Elected Representatives

• Building relationships is KEY
• Best time BEFORE
• Best place HOME
• Do Your Homework!
• 1 voice 7 constituents
• Keep it local.
• Tell stories.
• Youre an expert.

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Starting With Candidates...

• Where theres competition, theres
  responsiveness. Rep. Villarreal
• Do your homework.
• Communicate with all candidates.
• Ask specific questions.
• Get answers on paper.
• Hold an event!

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Elections

• Encourage voting!
• Newsletter, announcements at events, notes home
  to parents, website, signs in community centers,
  clinics, child care facilities, churches, etc.
• League of Women Voters (www.lwvtexas.org)

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Know YourLegislator
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Do Your Homework

• Who represents you?www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/f
  yi.htm
• www.house.state.tx.us
• www.senate.state.tx.us
• Political issues AND personal history.
• Voting record
• Committees
• Supporters endorsements, donations.www.followthe
  money.org

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Friendly and Future Allies

• I work on these issues in the Legislature and I
  feel terribly alone... Rep. Villarreal
• Be a resource.
• Support and thank them!
• OR
• Find common ground, even on non-child issues.
• Speak their language!

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Aides/Staff

• Not secretaries
• May be young
• Usually overworked
• Research, write policy, and track legislation
• They need you
• You need them
• Turnover

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Key Players

• Senate 31 membersLt. Governor is boss
• House 150 membersSpeaker is boss
• Governor
• Legislative Budget Board (LBB)
• Comptroller

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Legislative Process Bills

• Filed by Legislator
• Sent to Committee
• Heard by Committee
• Voted on by Committee
• Calendars (H) or Lt. Governor (S)
• Heard by H or S and voted on
• Goes to other house, heard, voted on
• Signed by Governor

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Legislative Process Budget

• Pre-session estimates (Gov, LBB)
• Filed as HB1 in House Appropriations C.
• Filed as SB1 in Senate Finance Cmte.
• Subcommittees on Health Human Svcs
• New CBO on each standing committee
• Voted on by H and S
• Conference Committee
• Signed by Governor

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Committee Hearings
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Theory of Hearings

• Prepare go online, attend a hearing.
• Oral or written testimony (or both!)
• Bring copies of written testimony.
• Practice!
• Attend hearing, deliver testimony.
• Go home.
• Democracy works.

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Reality of Hearings

• Scheduling nightmare.
• Call the committee office for update.
• Backup plan for postponement.
• Prepare for the worst.
• Keep going!
• Send follow-up letter.

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RelationshipsWith Legislators
The Visit...
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Legislative Visits

• HOME OFFICE VISITS are most effective.
• Prepare material to leave behind.
• If you go in group, plan roles beforehand.
• Plan on 5-10 minutes.
• Prepare 2 minute speech.
• Be on time.
• Be patient and be flexible.

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Legislative Visits

• Introduce yourself and your organization.
• Say how issue affects you and your community.
• Be a resource.
• Listen to the legislator!
• I dont know, but Ill get back to you.
• Say Thank you.
• Send follow-up letter.

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Legislative Visit Activity
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Other Activities

• Send them newsletter, holiday cards.
• The power of site visits.
• Media opportunities.
• All Legislators need THANKS!
• All Legislative offices need FOOD!

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Letters Faxes

• Form letters bad.
• Most effective handwritten.
• Keep it to one page, one issue.
• First paragraph is key.
• Personal / local stories work best.
• Request written response with their position.

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Phone Calls

• Give your name, town, and organizations name.
• Say the bill number (SB 76) and topic (child care
  coordination).
• Make 1 or 2 points no more!
• Use local examples.
• Offer more information.
• Say Thank you for your time.

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Email

• Not as effective.
• Good when timing counts.
• Position in subject line Oppose SB 4
• Keep it short.
• DONT WRITE IN ALL CAPS.
• i want you to not ignore punctuation and
  capitalizing thank you the end!
• Online petitions questionable.

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Framing Media
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Public Opinion and Framing

• frameworksinstitute.org/products/ecdreports.shtml
  
• Make child care a public problem
• ECD is a black box
• School readiness ??
• Catastrophe language gt disengagement
• Dominant models safety, family responsibility,
  self-made child

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Successful Reframes

• The future what will it look like?
• Child receives, then gives to community as an
  adult
• Brain architecture is damaged by negative
  experiences, requires positive experiences
• Waste of human potential (counteracts fiscal
  management frame)
• Importance of non-parent actors

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Media Options

• Getting Your Words Printed
• Letters to Editor
• Op-Eds
• Working with Reporters

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Letters to the Editor

• Easy
• Know the papers requirements
• Comment on a specific story
• One issue
• Strong position
• Shorter is better
• Send published copies to your Legislator!

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Letter to the Editor Activity
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Op-Eds

• More space
• Timing is crucial
• Contact the Op-Ed page editor
• Target middle of the road readers
• Call for a specific action
• Follow up and ask about it
• Ghostwrite for Board members or others.
• Send published copies to your Legislator!

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Working With Reporters

• Build a media list.
• Create a press packet.
• Have facts ready families identified!
• Introduce yourself to reporters.
• Send press releases.
• Give them stories.
• If they call, call back!
• Thank them for good articles.

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What Really Matters

• NOT about winning/losing on specific issue
• Did you build relationships?
• Did you establish yourself as resource?
• Did you build awareness?
• Did you get information out?
• Long-term project

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How Texans Care Can Help

• E-Newsletter
• www.texanscareforchildren.org
• Membership
• Legislative Agenda Updates
• Childrens Advocacy Day-February 7th
• info_at_texanscareforchildren.org