How can Child Care Aware agencies help shape public policy? Here are four ways:

1. We are perfectly positioned to speak with authority about the challenges of early care and education because we sit at the intersection of several key constituencies: parents, providers, and communities.
2. We have data about our system and its needs, a powerful public policy resource. Policy leaders need more than anecdotes, they need data.
3. We understand how systems and infrastructure do (or don’t) work. We can “lift up the hood of the car” and understand the inner-workings of the early care and education system. That understanding makes us valuable contributors to policy discussions.
4. Most importantly, we have passion for the parents and providers we serve, and for making sure that children get the best options possible. We can and should talk about why we love what we do, and that too will benefit public policy discussion.

Despite some of the most politically divisive years in recent history, early childhood has emerged as a key area of opportunity for bipartisan agreement as communities struggle with the lack of child care in a growing economy and the challenge of growing and sustaining the child care workforce. It’s so important that we contribute to these conversations at the local, state, and national level.

Get involved! Our weekly legislative updates and bill tracker during the session will keep you informed. Watch our Events page for monthly Ann Kaner-Roth policy hours, which are also live-streamed on Minnesota’s Future Facebook page.