Our future rests on these shoulders. While you may see a five year old above, in just 15 years, he will be entering Virginia’s workforce. The opportunity to put him on a path towards success right now and will pay off when he enters the workforce later.

Voices joins with 12 other organizations representing young children and their families in defining an Early Care and Education Legislative Agenda. This agenda demonstrates how investing in young children will lead to more prepared workforce. The organizations supporting this agenda represent a unified voice among children’s advocates to support opportunities that have demonstrated success.

Two priorities top of the 2013 Agenda:

1. Restoring funding to evidenced based home visiting services, CHIP/Parents as Teachers and Healthy Families to pre-recession levels.

2. Funding the budget shortfall in early intervention services to ensure that young children  with developmental delays reach their full potential.

In addition to these priorities, we hope the legislature will support access to child care for working families, continuing to expand the Virginia Preschool Initiative and support regional coalitions through the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation.

Members of the Early Childhood Policy Action Network include:

Child Care Aware Virginia

Child Development Resources

CHIP of Virginia/Parents As Teachers

Just Children/Legal Aid Justice Center

Prevent Child Abuse Virginia/Healthy Families Virginia

Smart Beginnings Historic Triangle

Virginia Alliance of Family Child Care Providers

Virginia Association of Community Services Boards

Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education (VAECE)

Virginia Association for Infant Mental Health (VAIMH)

Virginia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

Virginia Head Start Association

 

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