ACT NOW - Advocate for Early Learning in Idaho!
United Way of Treasure Valley needs YOUR help advocating to our state representatives to approve S1193, the appropriation bill for the federal Preschool Development Grant renewal. This funding would provide Idaho with nearly $6 million to support early learning opportunities for Idaho children.
You may recall a similar bill was introduced in the House a month ago, but the previous bill was not approved due to misinformation about the purposes of the grant. We need your help ensuring legislators receive accurate information about the purpose of this funding and the valuable impact these resources could have on young children and families in Idaho.
Please consider e-mailing/calling your legislators and encouraging them to approve S1193. You can use this link to find the contact information for your legislators. Crafting your own personalized message will have the most impact, we have included some talking points below. Please reach out if you’d like more information!
Talking points:
- This funding would support the work of local early learning collaboratives throughout Idaho where parents, community members, childcare providers, educators, policymakers, and businesses have united to create a localized approach to supporting young children.
- This funding would help prepare all Idaho children for school, whether this preparation happens in the home or in an early childhood education setting. It would allow for a family-centered approach to ensuring children are ready for kindergarten by engaging parents as partners in educating their young child.
- Local early learning collaboratives have the autonomy to decide what strategies will work best in preparing their local children for kindergarten. There is no required curriculum or method of delivery for this early education, each collaborative has developed their own unique strategic plans for ensuring local children are ready for kindergarten.
- If any children in your life have participated in an early childhood education program, or if you have experience preparing a young child to enter kindergarten, share your experience! Sometimes a personal story has the most impact!
Thank you in advance for advocating on behalf of our youngest Idahoans!