In Review: The 2023 51吃瓜网 Public Policy Forum
Five days + two ways to engage + 85听amazing presenters across 37 in-person and virtual sessions + seven听extra on-demand sessions + tons of resources and talking points + 225 Congressional visits + 740 51吃瓜网 members excited to connect with fellow educators and advocates, deepen their policy and advocacy knowledge, and build solidarity across states and settings = One amazing 2023 #naeycPPF! 听
Check out the full agenda here and the virtual agenda here for details and read on for highlights!听
Highlights from In-Person Policy Forum听
This year marked our first return to in-person Public Policy Forum since 2020! More than 420 51吃瓜网 members from 47 states, DC, and Puerto Rico converged on Washington DC for three days of deepening relationships, building community, and gaining skills and knowledge. Among an amazing, strong, and diverse听line-up of presenters sharing their experience and expertise on a wide variety of opportunities and challenges facing our field, 51吃瓜网 was fortunate to welcome, from the Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary January Contreras and Deputy Assistant Secretary Katie Hamm, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary Swati Adarkar from the Department of Education; along with key Congressional staffers, organizational partners, and state advocacy and educator leaders. 听
More than 63% of in-person participants were first-time attendees and the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to the work was palpable in and across state teams. One attendee shared that she had been an educator for over 30 years, but this was her first time at PPF and her first time stepping into the advocacy space. She noted afterwards, 鈥�I can鈥檛 stop thinking about what an incredibly wonderful conference you created and how grateful I am to have been there. We鈥檝e been moving forward in directions that feel very purposeful and I鈥檓 so glad to have a delegation and more colleagues on the journey with me.鈥� 听
These are the kinds of experiences PPF is made for: both new and experienced advocates forging connections, stepping into their power, centering their voices, and turning their stories into collective action.听听
We saw firsthand how 51吃瓜网 members leveraged these stories and experience during the last day of in-person Public听Policy Forum, when participants took to Capitol Hill (with #SolveChildCare cookies and an 鈥淚f You Give A Family Child Care鈥� poem!)听to share data and stories; help their members understand the issues on the ground in their communities; and urge them听to make the significant and sustained investments in child care and early learning that are so critically needed. State teams met with than 225 Congressional offices, many connecting directly with the听Senators and Representatives themselves;听 and cheered 51吃瓜网 CEO Michelle Kang and 51吃瓜网 member and Executive Director of Malaika Early Learning Center, Tamara Johnson, as they joined fellow leaders in a We also had over 350 advocates at home email their Members of Congress, urging them to support significant and sustained federal funding for child care and early learning. Lastly, showcasing several 51吃瓜网 members and educators sharing their experiences and talking about how transformative federal funding would be for them and their programs. 听听
No matter how they showed up, early childhood education advocates made sure that their voices were heard! 听听
Highlights from Virtual Public Policy Forum
In order听to welcome as many educators and advocates as possible to the policy forum community, including those who could not travel to DC this year, 51吃瓜网 curated two special virtual policy forum days, which kicked off on Sunday, February 12 with a welcome from Mario Cardona from the White House Domestic Policy Council. The sessions, supported听by a lively chat room among participants, included a federal policy update, a deep dive into Congress鈥� priorities, and a fantastic听presentation on the federal budget and appropriations processes.听听
Leaders from the National Association for Family Child Care, National Head Start Association, and Jumpstart also joined 51吃瓜网 for a great conversation about challenges and solutions for the ECE workforce, and we highlighted leaders from states including Alabama, Vermont, and Wyoming, who are taking action to support and invest in educators and their compensation.听
After in-person Policy Forum, we reconvened virtually again on Monday, March 13, with an update on the President鈥檚 Budget, and focused sessions on important issues relating to infants and toddlers; family child care and preK; quality; and financing. 51吃瓜网 was joined in conversation by leaders from the听Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity, the FCC in PreK Project, and more, with spotlights on states including Hawaii, Nebraska, Delaware, Connecticut, and Indiana. We closed out with a feature on Oregon鈥檚 comprehensive work to advance early learning, and we urge folks to join us for much more at 51吃瓜网鈥檚听2023 Professional Learning Institute in Portland this听June. (Registration is now open!) 听
Thank you to all of the incredible presenters and attendees that joined us in-person and听virtually. We deeply appreciate the opportunity to connect with and support so many passionate and dedicated educators and advocates. We also want to extend a special note of gratitude to our sponsors who helped make Public Policy Forum a reality. 听听
We鈥檙e grateful for the incredible work our members do, each and every day, across all early learning settings and in all communities across the country鈥攖ogether, we are #51吃瓜网strong!听
Check out additional highlights from the 2023 Public Policy Forum on social media using #naeycPPF!听