Policy & Advocacy
MnAEYC partners with a number of organizations to move forward early childhood field advocacy goals. We also have our own ECE Student Advocacy club with school members statewide. We are collaborators on the CARE Fellowship, have a seat on the Transforming Minnesota's Early Childhood Workforce Group, and The Advocacy for Children Day planning team.
2024 MnAEYC Public Policy Priorities
Goal #1: Workforce Investment
Wages and benefits for early childhood workforce commensurate with other education professionals
Goal #2: Support Services to Early Care and Education Professionals
Access to mental health and other support professionals for young children
Goal #3: Early Care and Education Systems
Reducing workforce effects resulting from Great Start funding (tax issues, benefits cliff)
Mixed Delivery systems to support family choice in VPK
Goal #4: Early Care and Education Family Affordability
Working towards no more than 7% early care and education cost for MN families
The CARE Fellowship is an opportunity for participants to:
-
Understand the early childhood and school-age care ecosystems
-
Connect with other advocates
-
Explore public policy topics
-
Develop confidence in leadership abilities
-
Build advocacy skills
-
Engage with policymakers and experts
Each session will be led by an early childhood and/or school-age care leader and will draw on Minnesota experts to share the latest news, research, and strategies to improve public policy.
Topics include:
-
Racial equity in early childhood
-
Minnesota legislative process
-
Historical context for today’s early care and education system
-
Early childhood as a social justice issue
-
Using personal stories for advocacy
-
Effective legislative meetings
-
Building power from the local to federal level
-
Advocating on social media
-
Emerging educational policy issues
-
Self-care and sustainable advocacy
We are striving to improve outcomes for young children by ensuring that Minnesota has a diverse, qualified, well-supported and fairly compensated workforce. We want to create an environment that respects and understands the background, cultures, and languages of the children in the system. Teachers are the most important component of a high quality learning experience and we are focusing on supporting the early childhood workforce with the long-term goal of improving the outcomes for children.
Mission: To develop and promote strategies to advance a high quality, equitably compensated early childhood workforce.
VISION: A diverse, qualified, well-supported and fairly compensated workforce, inclusive of existing care and education professionals across settings, that respects and understands the background, cultures, and languages of the children in the system and that is engaged in continuous learning and professional growth.
