Congratulations to the third cohort of Strategies for Children’s Advocacy Network!
The twelve members of this year’s cohort have completed our year-long program. They celebrated this week at our Reception for Reflection, and now they will be busy advocating for a stronger early childhood system in Massachusetts.
Funding for the Advocacy Network comes from Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health, which awarded Strategies a Birth to Five Child Health and Development Grant that has just been renewed for four more years!
At the Reception for Reflection—the program is posted—many Advocacy Network members shared several common themes, including:
- Our voices matter.
- Our stories have the power to influence policy and policymakers, and
- There are pathways that educators and providers can travel to move from the work of
early education and care to the work of policymaking.
“Stories like yours are so important,” Titus DosRemedios, Strategies’ deputy director said to the Advocacy Network members during the reception. “That’s something that we learn in the advocacy network, the power of our stories. In advocacy, data and research are very important, but, just as importantly, your stories, as early childhood professionals, have great power.”
Advocacy Network members also shared this year’s successes from joining a board and serving on panels to giving presentations, speaking to the media, launching surveys, and running advocacy training sessions.
Amy O’Leary, Strategies executive director added:
“We’ve seen that members of the advocacy network and our alumni leverage opportunities, move out of their comfort zone: taking risks beyond our monthly meetings, coming to our 9:30 Call, being featured on our blog “developing talking points and testimony, writing letters to the editor.”
Jayleese LeBlanc, the Advocacy Network’s program assistant, said, “This is my second year working with the Advocacy Network. It’s been lovely. It’s my favorite thing in the whole wide world, and each year I am amazed by the wonderful work that everyone does.”
Amy Kershaw, commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care, who attended the reception, praised Advocacy Network members for their hard work and commitment.
“I’m just so grateful for your partnership, and getting to do this work with all of you, it is truly an honor,” Kershaw said. “As I like to say on The 9:30 Call, we need to stay together, because this is the moment when we are truly going to be able to bring transformation to the system. And being here tonight, I couldn’t feel more hopeful and sure that that’s going to happen. So thank you all for everything you do and everything you’re going to continue to do.”
And Massachusetts Senator Robyn Kennedy, who also attended the reception, shared her own experience moving from early education and care to the State House, recalling:
“Two years ago, I was the COO at an early education and care center, and the week I left to dedicate [myself] full-time to the campaign, I was in a classroom, in a few classrooms actually, covering.
“So to each and every one of you, the path is there. [This] is absolutely something that I hope you all will consider, because to Commissioner Kershaw’s point of there’s a difference between policy and politics. We really need good policy makers to outweigh the politics.”
To learn more about the Advocacy Network, check out our blogs about this year’s cohort. They are:
Now that three cohorts have completed the Advocacy Network program, a network of alumni has grown around the state, and we’re excited to see this network expand in the coming years.
Interested in applying to be in the next cohort of the Advocacy Network? Check out our blog and our flier and sign up for one of our information sessions on Tuesday, September 17th, at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. Ready to apply? Click here to complete our online application.
And check out the Advocacy Network playlist to watch previous Reception for Reflection ceremonies as well as recordings of The 9:30 Call that feature the Advocacy Network members of Cohort 3.
If you have questions, please reach out to Titus DosRemedios, Strategies’ deputy director, at tdosremedios@strategiesforchildren.org.