You support children and families every day. You are an expert. You are a storyteller. And you are—you must be—an advocate, who is informed, engaged, and effective. Since we know you already possess the passion, NAEYC has created a suite of resources and tools to help you gain the necessary knowledge and skills to elevate your voice and advocacy efforts to new levels.

Federal and State Advocacy

Build the knowledge and skills needed to strengthen your federal and state advocacy work:

• Federal Advocacy: Key Congressional Committees, Caucuses and Agencies
• Get to Know Your Federal Legislators and their Committee
• Quality in Practice: Connect Policy Makers to NAEYC-Accredited Early Learning Programs
• Organizing a Site Visit for a Policy Maker
• Sample Invitation to a Legislator or Candidate to Conduct a Site Visit
• Sample Invitation for a Legislator or Candidate to Attend an Event
• Mastering Meetings with Policymakers
• The Federal Legislative Process, Or How A Bill Becomes a Law
• What Does a Child Care Program’s Budget Look Like?

Electoral Advocacy Skills:

Engaging candidates running for office is a necessary skill for adovocacy efforts. Build your skill set with the tools below:

• Building Relationships with Candidates for Elected Office at the Local, State, and Federal Levels
• Candidate Forum
• Candidate Questionnaire
• Find out Voter Registration Requirements & Deadlines in your State!
• GOTV Activities for Non-Profits
• Honoring Legislators in an Election Year
• Nonpartisan Electoral Strategy
• The Do's and Don'ts of Electoral Advocacy

Communications Tools

Elevate your communication skills and convey an advocacy message that is both compelling and effective. These guidelines can help:

• ​Creating a Concise, Descriptive and Visually Engaging Handout
• Working with All Media
• Media Advisory Template
• Press Release Template
• Writing a Compelling Letter to the Editor
• Letter to the Editor Template
• Writing a Compelling Newsletter
• Writing an Effective Blog Post

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Please note: all advocacy activities listed in the resources fall within the legal limits of what an individual associated with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization can do. For greater insight on the activities 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations can and cannot do with regard to the separate activities of (1) lobbying and (2) political activities, please read Rules of Nonprofit Lobbying and feel free to explore the resources available on the Alliance for Justice Bolder Advocacy webpage.