Public Engagement and Political Will Building

It is critical that states and communities build broad and diverse constituencies to support investment in comprehensive early childhood systems.

Strategic communications can be used to increase understanding of the requirements and benefits of such a system. Stakeholders, including parents, should be engaged in leading, planning, evaluating, and improving the comprehensive early childhood system.

In this Series

Featured Resources
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Featured Resources

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Infants And Toddlers in the Policy Picture: A Self-Assessment Toolkit For States
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A Place to Get Started: Innovation in State Infant and Toddler Policies
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The ZERO TO THREE Home Visiting Community Planning Tool
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State and Local Advocacy Tools
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Putting the Pieces Together for Infants and Toddlers: Comprehensive, Coordinated Systems
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Infant and Toddler Messaging Guide

This paper shares the results of a national scan of message trends in infant and toddler advocacy and offers guidance on how to develop effective infant-toddler messages.

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State Strolling Thunder™ Events in 2018 Created a Nationwide Drumbeat for Strong Infant and Toddler Policies
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Kentucky's Born Learning Academy Program

Born Learning® Academies are helping Kentucky parents of children prenatal to five understand how to turn everyday experiences into learning opportunities.
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Minnesota Develops Prenatal to Three Policy Agenda to Promote Equity
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Florida Increases Public Awareness about the Importance of the First 1,000 Days

Together, Florida and the First 1000 Days Collaborative developed a common agenda for improving outcomes for young children and families through expansion of critical services and increased cross-sys…
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Tennessee Provides Books to Children Beginning at Birth
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North Carolina Medicaid Requires Developmental Screening in Health Settings
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Indiana Group Brings Attention to the Needs of Infants and Toddlers

Indiana's Happy Babies Brain Trust, a work group of public and private leaders, released an issue brief in November 2015 laying out recommendations for state action to support early childhood develop…
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Indiana's MIECHV Team Engages Hard to Reach Families
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Chicago Increases Access to High-Quality Early Learning Opportunities

Learn how Illinois has developed a universal quality rating and improvement system to rate early learning programs quality so parents can compare programs.
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Colorado's Early Childhood Framework Leads to Opportunities for Infant and Toddler Planning

Learn how thirty-one local Early Childhood Councils across the state are tasked with implementing an Early Childhood Colorado framework at the community level.
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Alaska Promotes Early Learning with "Babies on Track"

Learn how Alaska is supporting parents of children under age two with an informational DVD and related events.
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Ohio's MIECHV Team Increases Program Visibility via Social Media
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Funding for Home Visiting Protected in New York

The evidence-based program offers in-home services to 5,000 expectant families and new parents in New York's highest-need communities each year.
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Wisconsin Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge

In 2012, Wisconsin reapplied for and was awarded the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant and proposed the following targets to improve its early learning and development (ELD) sy…
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Washington State Early Childhood Governance and Advocacy

In 2006, Washington state passed important pieces of legislation that increase the capacity of the state to provide sound early childhood services. Among the legislation passed was a bill to create t…
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Texas MIECHV Engages Fathers in Home Visiting Programs

The Texas Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) team committed to engaging fathers in the home visiting programming based on research that supports father involvement for positiv…
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Rhode Island Releases Issue Brief and Policy Priorities for Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families
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Pennsylvania Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
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Pennsylvania's Infant Early Learning GPS

Pennsylvania's Promise for Children created a web-based, online interactive tool that helps families learn what they can do to help their young children learn and grow.
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Parent Child Centers

Family Engagement, Public Engagement & Political Will Building resource information on state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and their families
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Bright Start

Family Engagement resource information on state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and their families
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New Jersey Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge

In December, 2013, New Jersey became one of the six newest states to receive a Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant.
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Maryland Embeds Family Engagement Framework into Early Childhood Services and Systems
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Wisconsin Takes Steps to Address Young Children's Mental Health
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Massachusetts Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge

Funding from the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant has allowed Massachusetts an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate early childhood education so that the state’s children h…
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Maryland Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge

In December 2011, Maryland was awarded a four-year Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant and proposed the following targets to improve its early learning and development (ELD) syst…
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Kentucky Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START) program for Parents Involved with the Child Welfare System

Kentucky is engaged in cross-system collaboration to meet the needs of young children with substance-abusing parents involved with the child welfare system.