Public Policy
Early Years Are Learning Years
NAEYC and Illinois AEYC members, most of whom work directly with young children and families, see daily the toll of ill-conceived policies on the lives of the children and families we serve. Existing programs have too often taken fragmented, piecemeal approaches to the complex issues facing children and families. Effective policies have seldom been funded at sufficient levels to provide adequate support to all families who might benefit.
NAEYC and Illinois AEYC believe that our nation is at a crossroads. We must develop an integrated system of early childhood care and education that includes comprehensive approaches that directly involve families and communities in program design, implementation, and evaluation. We can invest now in our children and families and enjoy long-term savings, with a more vibrant nation of healthy, achieving children and more stable families. Or, we can fail to make the investment and pay the price: increased delinquency, greater educational failures, lowered productivity, less economic competitiveness, and fewer adults prepared to be effective, loving parents to the next generation of children. Federal, state and local government, communities, parents, and the private sector must share in the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of children and families.
Our nation can and must do better to create opportunities that help all children and families succeed. The time for action is now.
Courtesy NAEYC
- Action Alerts
- Advocacy 101 Webinar
- Advocacy for Everyone
- Advocacy Partners
- Am I Next? Sacrificing to Stay Open, Child Care Providers Face a Bleak Future Without Relief
- Curated COVID-19 Resources for NAEYC’s Affiliate Network
- Finding districts and elected officials
- From the Front Lines The Ongoing Effect of the Pandemic on Child Care
- Government Websites
- Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission
- Illinois AEYC COVID-19 Survey Report
- NAEYC Ongoing Effect of Pandemic-State by State
- NAEYC’s Resource Page for Educators on Coping with COVID-19
- Public Policy Agenda
- State Data: Child Care Providers are Sacrificing to Stay Open and Waiting for Relief