Advocacy Letter

For this assignment, you will need to choose an issue to advocate for or against and write a letter to an elected official. This issue should relate to relate to young children, families, and/or the early childhood profession. You will need to understand your issue thoroughly to make a good argument. Think of your research in terms of questions you need to answer. You are not just looking for information, you are looking for answers.
When writing your letter, you will use this format.
Engage the Audience Identify the audience you are trying to influence. Choose information and language that will resonate with the audience and help it understand the issues. [For example: I am your constituent and the director of an early learning program in your district that provides services to more than 100 children and their families in our community.]
State the Problem Clearly and concisely define the problem. Choose the most compelling component of the issue for each audience.
Think about:
What is the problem?
Who is affected by the issue?
Why does the issue need to be addressed at this time?
Where is the problem greatest?
When is intervention needed before there are negative consequences?
How are children, families, and the community being affected?
What local data can you provide to emphasize how the problem is affecting the community?
[For example: Our community has grown tremendously in the past several years. We regularly must turn away many children who could benefit from our program because we do not have enough classroom space for them. There is a vacant building next to our business where we could expand and serve many more families. However, our current funding will not cover renovation costs.]
Inform Others about Potential Solutions Be prepared to suggest and discuss practical solutions. Consider your specific recommendations, the evidence you must support them, and how these solutions might be funded.
[For example: The capital bill includes funding for early childhood facilities. If the bill is approved, it would allow us to apply for at least a portion of the cost of a renovation project and would go far in helping us reach our goal of serving many more children in our community.]
Call to Action The call to action required will vary according to the audience and the problem at hand, but make sure to clearly define the “ask.” The action requested should be specific and give your audience an immediate way to get involved.
[For example: Would you support the capital bill that includes early childhood facilities funding? Would you ask your legislative leaders to also support this initiative?]
Attached is what I have started thus far, it has my topic and a little further info.

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