This week, we celebrated another successful Advocacy Summit! More than 250 advocates from across the country came together in Washington D.C. to unite as one voice, hone their advocacy skills and meet with lawmakers to share why we must invest in kids. Throughout the three days, we heard from powerful voices on why we must bring issues that are important to us to the forefront of politicians. This year, we honored four members of Congress – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and U.S. Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-KS) – as Congressional Champions for Children.
And just one day after the Summit concluded, we learned that because of the work of these leaders in Congress and others, the final 2018 budget will have huge wins for kids. Congressional leaders agreed to increase funding for Head Start and Early Head Start, for high-quality child care assistance for middle and low-income families; and even for maternal and child health programs overseas. That’s a powerful reminder that when we raise our voices together on the need to invest in kids, we can make a difference.