The ACS Team Shows Advocates New Skills at NAEYC Public Policy Forum

Two hundred NAEYC members from 39 states gathered in Washington, DC for the annual Public Policy Forum on March 8-10, 2015 to prepare to meet with elected officials about the importance of early childhood. On March 8, 2015 ACS president Lori McClung and policy associate Cassie Gaffney, along with Amy O’Leary, director of the Early Education for All Campaign, presented a four-hour interactive pre-conference session. More than 100 early childhood stakeholders from across the country, most without previous advocacy experience, came to the session to learn about the federal legislative and budget process, rules for nonprofit lobbying, and strategies and tactics for effectively engaging policymakers. The pre-conference day concluded with a policymaker-meeting workshop where participants had the opportunity to practice and hone their new skills alongside their colleagues. Participants reported that information at the pre-conference was new and helpful, encouraged their colleagues back home to participate next year, and invited ACS to do similar trainings in their states. All resources from the pre-conference can be found here: http://www.naeyc.org/policy/advocacy.