Engaging Policymakers on Early Childhood:Effective Strategies and Opportunities

Rep. Nora Slawik, Chair, Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division, Minnesota

Stephanie Rubin, Senior Officer, Pew Center on the States

September 2009

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Effective Advocacy: It’s a Contact Sport!

• Hearing directly from business and other community leaders sends a strong message.

• Policymakers gauge voter interest in an issue in part based on whether and what they hear from their constituents and community leaders.

• Personal stories and local perspectives are very persuasive.

• Early childhood issues need more legislative champions from both political parties. Build a pipeline of supporters: local and state policymaker champions may rise to more powerful state or federal positions in the future.

April 19, 2023

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As in the Corporate World: Preparation is Critical

• Understand and leverage the legislative process, however slow and frustrating.

• Be familiar with the policymaker’s background and interests (e.g. he was a pediatrician, she sat on the local United Way) and tie it to your issue. The background of spouses may also be relevant.

• Be educated about who the key policymakers are on early childhood issues:

governor and relevant agency directors

chairs and vice chairs of relevant committees

caucus leaders, majority and minority leaders

your representativesApril 19, 2023

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For Long Term Success: Build a Relationship

• To ensure proven programs are well implemented and scaled up with high quality, also meet with the regulators: agency directors and staff, commissioners, board members, etc.

• If your industry association or group has taken a support position on early childhood and employs a lobbyist, ensure that he/she lobbies on early childhood issues at the Capitol.

• Invite policymakers to join you on a tour of a high quality early childhood program in their district: seeing is believing.

• Educate legislative and gubernatorial candidates.

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Meeting with Policymakers: Timing is Key

• Ensure the timing of your call or meeting is appropriate:

Meet with legislators in the Fall before legislative session begins, when they prefer to meet in their district. These pre-session meetings are a perfect opportunity to discuss the issues at length and build a personal relationship; and

Meet during session before legislation is heard in committee or on the House or Senate Floor.

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Winning at the State Capitol: Making Your Case

• Attend legislative meetings with an advocacy partner who knows the intricate policy details (so you don’t have to).

• Good to meet with staff (with or without the policymaker); they are critical conduits of information to policymakers and manage legislative efforts.

• Bring materials to leave behind: policy briefs, copies of key media coverage, letters of support, etc.

• Your “ask” should align with what the early childhood groups and legislative champions are advocating. Veering off course will cause confusion.

April 19, 2023

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Winning at the State Capitol: Bring the Issue Home

• Explain why early childhood issues are meaningful to you and an urgent issue: discuss your involvement in local programs, the academic research including relevant local data, how early childhood builds human capital and promotes economic development, etc.

• Indicate your willingness to stand with that legislator at a public event in support of early childhood or reach out to other legislators who may be on the fence.

• Follow up with a thank you letter, call and/or invitation to a meeting of your colleagues. They appreciate opportunities to publicly highlight their hard work.

April 19, 2023

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Common Pitfalls in Engaging Policymakers• Clash of realities: how does your policy ask fit into the budget and

political environment?

• Believing you need to answer the question commonly asked by policymakers: “how should we pay for this?” when you don’t.

• Making a policy request that does not align with what the early childhood community seeks or where legislators are headed. Be on target.

• Avoiding the Capitol due to the frustrating committee schedule.

• Weighing in too late in the legislative process.

• Not reaching out in a bipartisan manner.

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The Business Leader Voice Attracts Attention

April 19, 2023

August 9, 2007 June 14, 2009