Advocating for Minnesota Children

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Jan 30

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In addition to providing early childhood education, YWCA Minneapolis also works with the community and state government to promote equal access to high-quality early childhood education. In order to bring more voices into early childhood and school-age advocacy efforts, YWCA Minneapolis supports parents, caregivers and other community members to be advocates for Minnesota’s children.

One such voice is Tymber Anderson, a Montessori preschool teacher in St. Paul. Tymber is currently participating in the CARE (Child Care Advocates Ready to Emerge) Fellowship. The CARE Fellowship is a collaborative effort of YWCA Minneapolis and other child care organizations to provide child care professionals an opportunity to engage with public policy in Minnesota. Tymber shares her experience as a CARE Fellow, connecting the dots between child care public policy and her daily work as a caregiver.

My Experience as a CARE Fellow

“I am proud to be part of a group of people dedicated to advocating for early childhood professionals, children and families. The CARE Fellowship has allowed me an outlet to re-energize and see advocacy as a way to open doors to new partnerships and creative solutions. As a CARE Fellow, I am gaining a broader perspective of the complexities of policy making as it affects children and families. I am also developing a deeper awareness of how child care programing and advocacy can shape public policy.My work as an early childhood practitioner is to ensure public policy discussions continue to involve the developmental needs of our state’s youngest citizens. The CARE Fellowship has provided me with unique experiences and opportunities to connect with other passionate people about early childhood education issues. Together we are able to investigate the purpose of public policy in shaping early learning opportunities and the role advocates have in educating and influencing policy makers.Throughout my career in child care, I have always identified myself as an advocate for children. However, I have not always known what that has meant for me outside of the classroom and school building. Increasingly, it is becoming more and more important for early childhood professionals to step up and speak out for themselves and for their field.Advocacy is important to me because I believe with hard work and partnership we can achieve a more equitable and peaceful society by ensuring every child has access to high-quality, culturally and developmentally appropriate early childhood programming. Advocating on the side of families and children allows me the opportunity to voice my concerns and share my expertise. Through this outlet, I am able to learn more about the unique needs of individual children and the problems Minnesota families face today.”

Get Involved With Advocacy Efforts at YWCA Minneapolis

Workshops

YWCA Minneapolis offers advocacy workshops for parents and caregivers to introduce you to the legislative process, learn how to engage with your legislators, help you develop your story, prepare you to testify at the State Capitol and more.

View Upcoming Workshops

Become a CARE Fellow

The CARE Fellowship helps child care professionals learn how they can be advocates for early childhood and afterschool fields when engaging and educating policymakers at all levels of government.

Learn More About Becoming A Care Fellow