This document discusses grassroots advocacy for early childhood programs. It defines advocacy and grassroots advocacy, explaining that advocacy is important to voice concerns on behalf of children. It describes the legislative process, from a bill being introduced to its impact, and the role of constituents in advocacy. It encourages partnership with Smart Start through advocacy efforts like Tuesdays for Tots visits to legislators or sending messages from home, and provides ways to get involved and stay informed on issues impacting children.

1. Grassroots Advocacy
for
Smart Start’s Children

2. About Advocacy
What is advocacy?
Is the pursuit of influencing outcomes—in areas of
public-policy and resource allocation decisions within
political, economic, social systems and institutions—
that directly affect people’s current lives.

3. About Advocacy
What is grassroots advocacy?
It’s when concerned citizens come together without being
organized by an organization or company regarding an issue
they feel is not being resolved appropriately by government
officials and other entities with the power to respond to the
issue. The term “grassroots” refers to a movement which
grows spontaneously and naturally.

4. About Advocacy
Why is advocacy important?
Children cannot stand up for themselves and without a group
of people to voice their concerns on children’s behalf,
legislators would not know the necessary issues to create and
enforce laws to benefit our community’s children.

5. The Legislative Process
How a bill is introduced
A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate
becomes aware of an issue and based on research, input
from experts, and public opinion, that individual will write up
a bill as a resolution to the issue. It will go to a committee
and if passed at the committee level, it will go for a vote in
both the House and the Senate. Before it is officially passed
or rejected, the bill may receive several amendments. If it
passes both the House and the Senate, it becomes law.

6. The Legislative Process
We are a democracy
Our system is based on a democracy. The more legislators
hear from constituents on an issue, the more pressure they
feel to act and vote accordingly. They want to be re-elected
and they are there to represent us. This is why large
companies pay lobbyists to hang out in the halls and
lobbies of the legislative buildings to repeat their concerns
like a broken record over and over—getting that message
through to legislators.

7. The Legislative Process
Advocacy vs. Lobbying
Nonprofits often cannot afford lobbyists, or their federal or
state grant requirements prevents them from hiring
lobbyists or acting as their own lobbyists. This puts them in
an area of generating advocacy efforts through donations
and volunteers from the community.

8. The Legislative Process
Your impact on a bill
Through grassroots advocacy, our communities can join
together and raise awareness and educate legislators
about issues regarding children. With enough voices, we
can demand amendments to bills, and urge legislators to
vote against bills that would have a negative impact, and
vote for bills that would have a positive impact. As a
collective voice, through advocacy, we can make a
difference in generating new laws and changing outdated
laws.

9. The Legislative Process
Your role as a constituent
Become involved in an advocacy group or help start one
through your child’s school, your church, or a civic club.
Educate yourself about the issues affecting early care
and education.
Make sure your elected officials hear from you by phone,
email, letters, in-person visits.
Participate in Smart Start’s advocacy efforts.

10. Ways to Partner with Smart Start
Tuesdays for Tots
Register and go with us to Raleigh to visit our state
legislators when they are in session in the spring.
If you can’t go, send us your story. We’ll tell it for you.
Sponsor someone like a teenage mother, a parent
struggling to pay for child care, or a parent of a special
needs child.
Sponsor our bus, snacks and drinks, t-shirts.
Encourage other people to go with you such as family,
friends, and co-workers.

11. The Legislative Process
Tuesdays at Home
Send birthday cards to legislators and thank them for
your hard work. This makes contact with them when you
aren’t asking for something.
Have children create art projects and send them.
Have parents write personal letters telling their story.
Have older children that were in a Smart Start program
share their story by letter, an online video, or email.
Keep your message brief and to the point, but respectful.

12. The Legislative Process
Making a Connection
Smart Start has sample letters and post cards on our
website.
Smart Start provides a link on our website where you can
find the legislator names and contact info representing your
particular address.
Become and e-advocate through Smart Start’s website or
sign up today. We’ll keep you informed on the latest Smart
Start alerts, budget changes, and issues affecting our
children.

13. Thank you for supporting
Smart Start &
the children in our community!