ACNJ Enews

Dear Supporter,

Will you make a few calls on behalf of New Jersey’s children and families?

On Wednesday, May 25th, advocates across the country are flooding Congress with phone calls in support of increased investments in early learning in the upcoming appropriations bill.

These calls are important because federal funds are a critical piece of the child care/early learning funding puzzle in New Jersey and throughout the country. And without these needed funds, too many children, particularly those from low-income families, will not have the chance to participate in the high-quality early learning experiences that they need. This is important to ensure that children can succeed in school and parents can work to support their families.

So what are we asking for exactly? We are asking for increased federal funding for grants such as Head Start and Early Head Start, child care, and preschool.

Please take a few minutes to make three calls on Wednesday, May 25th – one to your Representative and one to each of your Senators– before they move forward with the funding priorities in early June.

To make sure we are heard, we need to flood Members of Congress with calls. Here's how you can help:

1. Get ready to call your three members of Congress. The names of New Jersey’s U.S. Senators are Robert Menendez and Corey Booker. Both should be called. But don’t stop there, call your member in the House! Click here to find your members of Congress.

2. Call the switchboard at 202-224-3121202-224-3121. Ask the operator to connect to one of your Members of Congress.

3. Once you're connected to your first Member’s office, tell the person who answers the phone: "My name is _____ and I'm a constituent. I urge the Senator/Representative to support increased investments in early learning in the upcoming appropriations bill.”

4. Call the switchboard again (three times total!), ask to be connected with your other Member, and repeat step #2.

Unfortunately, we know what will happen if we are not successful. Funding will fall short. Wait lists will be back. Parents will struggle to get back to work without access to child care. Children will lose out without the early learning experiences that they need.

Across the country, public officials, business leaders, law enforcement officials and others agree that investing in the early years is one of the wisest steps we can take as a country. But despite all this agreement, getting increased funding for these important programs will not be easy. That’s why it’s so important for Congress to hear from all of us – the people on the ground working and advocating for children and families.

Please take just a minute to call your Members of Congress on Wednesday, May 25th to urge them to ensure more children get the early learning opportunities they need to succeed.

Thank you for everything you do!

Sincerely,

Cecilia Zalkind
Executive Director

PS – For more information about our appropriations requests, please check out this coalition sign-on letter.

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May 24, 2016	About Us \| Contact Us \| Donate
Dear Supporter, Will you make a few calls on behalf of New Jersey’s children and families? On Wednesday, May 25th, advocates across the country are flooding Congress with phone calls in support of increased investments in early learning in the upcoming appropriations bill. These calls are important because federal funds are a critical piece of the child care/early learning funding puzzle in New Jersey and throughout the country. And without these needed funds, too many children, particularly those from low-income families, will not have the chance to participate in the high-quality early learning experiences that they need. This is important to ensure that children can succeed in school and parents can work to support their families. So what are we asking for exactly? We are asking for increased federal funding for grants such as Head Start and Early Head Start, child care, and preschool. Please take a few minutes to make three calls on Wednesday, May 25th – one to your Representative and one to each of your Senators– before they move forward with the funding priorities in early June. To make sure we are heard, we need to flood Members of Congress with calls. Here's how you can help: 1. Get ready to call your three members of Congress. The names of New Jersey’s U.S. Senators are Robert Menendez and Corey Booker. Both should be called. But don’t stop there, call your member in the House! Click here to find your members of Congress. 2. Call the switchboard at 202-224-3121202-224-3121. Ask the operator to connect to one of your Members of Congress. 3. Once you're connected to your first Member’s office, tell the person who answers the phone: "My name is _____ and I'm a constituent. I urge the Senator/Representative to support increased investments in early learning in the upcoming appropriations bill.” 4. Call the switchboard again (three times total!), ask to be connected with your other Member, and repeat step #2. Unfortunately, we know what will happen if we are not successful. Funding will fall short. Wait lists will be back. Parents will struggle to get back to work without access to child care. Children will lose out without the early learning experiences that they need. Across the country, public officials, business leaders, law enforcement officials and others agree that investing in the early years is one of the wisest steps we can take as a country. But despite all this agreement, getting increased funding for these important programs will not be easy. That’s why it’s so important for Congress to hear from all of us – the people on the ground working and advocating for children and families. Please take just a minute to call your Members of Congress on Wednesday, May 25th to urge them to ensure more children get the early learning opportunities they need to succeed. Thank you for everything you do! Sincerely, Cecilia Zalkind Executive Director PS – For more information about our appropriations requests, please check out this coalition sign-on letter. Click here to unsubscribe