Take action for early childhood

In September 2020, Interfaith Outreach convened community members to learn and reflect on the importance of high quality early childhood development. Together we committed to individual and collective action to advance this topic. Below are suggested actions anyone can take to advance this topic and move us closer to a system and practices that work for us all.

Keep Learning

• Watch the recording of the Caring for Kids Breakfast
• Learn about additional local stories via Long Story Short: A Collection of MN Early Learning Stories
• Take a virtual tour of a local high-quality early learning center (and visit in-person once the pandemic subsides): Wayzata Early Learning School, Bloom Early Learning
• Hear from a variety of speakers through the Prenatal to 3 Policy Forum meetings (past meetings are available to view on-demand)

Expand the Conversation

• Tell 5 friends about the film and what you’ve learned
• Share on social media why you’re standing up for children, families and the community as a whole. Be sure to tag @NoSmallMatter and @iocpinterfaith
• Host your own No Small Matter house party or community screening! Rent/buy via Amazon Prime or the No Small Matter website.

Speak Up

• Use the Think Babies action toolkit to call, email or tweet at your city or state leaders to let them know this matters to you
• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about early learning’s importance to your community

Advocate for Change

• Nationally – Ask your U.S. Congressional elected officials to support the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would ensure affordable child care for low-income families and a living wage for our early educators. Also ask for their support of Think Babies and Act by prioritizing the issues that offer immediate support and long-term stability for families with babies and toddlers. The First Five Years Fund is a great resource to stay up-to-date on federal efforts.
• In Minnesota – Think Small is the leader in local advocacy efforts and offers excellent resources for individuals to get engaged in policy change work.

Donate

• Fund a full or partial early learning scholarship for a child in our community.

Volunteer

• Explore ways to serve our littlest learners and entire community.

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Questions? Please contact one of these Interfaith staff members:

Andrea Mac Arthur amacarthur@iocp.org Great Expectations Initiative Director

Rachel Boettcher rboettcher@iocp.org Caring for Kids Manager

Debi Fink dfink@iocp.org Case Manager