One of the goals of First Steps is to make young children and their families an urgent community priority. To achieve that goal, we’re asking YOU to make young children one of YOUR priorities.
Here are 5 things you can do to be an effective advocate for our children.
1. Stay Informed. Sign up to receive Stepping Ahead, the newsletter of First Steps. Encourage your friends and colleagues to join the mailing list, as well. This will keep you connected to the work being done to support young children and their families in Kent County.
2. Spread the Word. Invite First Steps to speak to your business, community group or congregation about the importance of early childhood development and the return on investment when we commit our resources to our youngest children. As more people hear these messages, support for Kent County’s early childhood system grows stronger.
3. Make Your Voice Heard. Write a letter to the editor-as a community leader, your words carry a lot of weight. Look for opportunities to connect your letter to current issues involving children, education and economic development. In addition to the newspaper, don’t forget weekly business and community publications. Click here to read sample letters to the editor.
4. Advocate for Change. Urge your federal and state lawmakers, county and city commissioners, school board members and other elected officials to advance public policies that support the health, early learning and security of our community’s children. It will take the private and public sectors working together to sustain a network of support services for young children and their families in Kent County. Click her for a sample letter to a legislator.
5. Tell 5 Friends. Tell them why the earliest years of a child’s life are so important. Explain that child development is economic development. Discuss your involvement in supporting young children and their families in Kent County. Early childhood must be on the community agenda, and that means we all have to keep talking about it.
First Steps is working to make sure every young child in Kent County is ready to succeed in school and in life. Please join us! Our children need your time, your resources and your support.
For more information about how you can get involved with First Steps, contact Amy Turner-Thole, Communications Director.
Phone: 616-632-1011
Email: aturner-thole@waybetterunitedway.org