“Children don’t get to vote or run for office,” says the Early Care and Learning Council.  “They are at the mercy of adults to make decisions that are in their best interest.”   In order to help us all do a better job, The Council – New York State’s association of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies – has released a Guide for Voters and Candidates to assist in making informed decisions in regards to the needs of children, their families and the community at large. The guide is also a resource for candidates to better understand polices that affect children and how to learn more about those issues.

The focus areas in the Early Care & Learning Council’s Guide for Voters and Candidates are based on the Council’s 2013 Public Policy Agenda. Those focus areas are; Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency capacity, access to quality early care and learning, social and emotional health, and physical health and well-being.

New York’s CCR&Rs serve as community coordinating and planning agencies for local child care services and offer a variety of supports to child care providers, parents, businesses, and local governments. These agencies provide affordable quality professional development. They are the key to workforce development in the early care and education field and are a community hub for families.

“This is our first Guide for Voters and Candidates,” said Jessica Klos-Shapiro, Policy Associate at the Council. “We are excited to offer this as a resource for those looking to educate themselves in the days and weeks leading up to the election. It’s important for people to know where the candidates stand on issues that affect our most valuable resource, our children. It’s important that candidates have all the information on those issues as well.”

The Guide urges voters to ask candidates for their positions on early childhood issues critical to children and families:

• Have you reached out to your local CCR&R to learn about workforce development and family supports?
• Do you support access to quality care for all children?
• Do you support funding for QUALITYstarsNY in your community and statewide?
• What are your thoughts about physical health and well being for young children?
• What is your plan to support quality care for infants and toddlers?
• Do you support child care as an economic development tool for all families?

Click here to download the Council's 2012 Guide for Voters and Candidates. To learn more about the Council's 2013 Public Policy Agenda, click here.

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