✅ Do you think you should get paid wages that are worthy of the brain building work you do as a high-quality early care and education provider?
✅ Do you wish that the ‘powers that be’ understood the long-term challenges early childhood programs face when it comes to investing in kids?
✅ Do you wish there was a way to build the ECE workforce so your local community can depend on you in the future?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then we need your help! We want to share our vision with all members of our state legislator, to educate them on the challenges facing the ECE workforce in their communities. It is especially important that constituents for members of the Tax and Revenue committee, hear the need for House Bill (HB) 1158.
This legislation would incentivize quality across the early education sector by implementing refundable tax credits AND take a step in the right direction in addressing the gap in compensation between Early Educators and our colleagues in K-12. The bill is modeled after Louisiana’s School Readiness Tax Credits enacted in 2007. Their system has become an effective lever in promoting small business development, improving teacher preparation and retention, and creating greater access to higher quality care for all children. Each dollar spent on Louisiana’s early care and education sector returns $1.78 to local economies.
The first step in the legislative process is for the bill to pass in the House Tax and Revenue Committee. These members must vote to approve the bill before it can be voted on in the House. If they do not, the bill “dies in committee”. This is where you come in!
Action Steps ✅
Please download this “one-pager” and email it to your legislator. Tell them why this is important to YOU and your colleagues. I’ve also attached two sample emails (here and here) to get you started – choose the one that aligns more with your needs and simply copy and paste into the body of your email and tweak as necessary. If you don’t know how to connect with your legislator, you can obtain their contact information by clicking here for your state Representative and here for your state Senator. It takes less than 5 minutes to stand up for children and your fellow ECE colleagues!
We suggest using “The ECE workforce is the heart of your community and we NEED YOUR HELP” in the subject line. That helps them see at a glance how many folks have sent them this request.
We will follow up in person on February 14th and continue to ask for their support during Kids Count Day at the capital when we hand them the valentines your children created ♥
If you have questions or would like additional information, we’d love for you to join us via Zoom on either of the sessions available here:
We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank YOU in advance for your support in this endeavor!
Zephonia Avant
AECA Public Policy Chair
Find out more about how AECA advocates for you here
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