In the past several weeks, we have all been inundated with information related to the 2020 elections. While the presidential election typically dominates the conversation, federal Senate and House seats, as well as all seats in state and local elections are crucial because they affect young children, their families and child care providers.
Below are a few tips for exercising your right to vote and maximizing your participation in the election to benefit the early childhood field.
1. Research the candidates beforehand
- If they are already in office, what is their record on ECE? Keep in mind that incumbents are more difficult to overturn, so if you are unhappy with a politician’s record it’s extra important to mobilize for their rival.
- Go to the candidate’s website and read their policy platform.
- Is there an advocacy organization, newspaper or other institution you trust when it comes to standing up for children, families and providers? Sometimes these organizations endorse candidates for office that align with their goals. If you’re pressed for time, this can take some guesswork out of researching candidates.
- Although what you might like to see in a candidate is up to you, many advocates and organizations have laid out their early childhood priorities for candidates. One example is the North Carolina Early Education Coalition’s Election Advocacy Toolkit. Click here to see responses to the First Five Years Fund national poll on what voters want to see in child care policy.
2. Keep deadlines and logistics in mind
- The deadline for voter registration before the election has passed, but you can still register at early voting sites from October 15th to the 31st. You will need proof of residence in your county.
- If you would like to vote by mail, you must have requested an absentee ballot by October 27. The ballot must be postmarked by November 3. You can also return the ballot at your local polling place by November 3 at 5:00 p.m.
- Go here to look up your local polling places and hours.
- If you choose to vote in person, be sure to stay safe at the polling place by social distancing and wearing a mask.
3. Mobilize other voters in your community
- The pandemic has introduced several barriers to getting out the vote. Consider encouraging others in your community to vote, reminding them of key deadlines, helping them find a polling place or sample ballot or researching candidates with others.
- If you feel comfortable, give your neighbors a ride to the polls. Wear a mask and roll down the windows.
- Volunteer as a poll worker.
Which seats are up for re-election? What do the people in these offices do? What power do they hold over early childhood policy? What kinds of phrases should you look out for as you’re researching candidates to know whether they prioritize child care providers, young children and their families? Look below for a start as you seek answers to some of these questions.
President of the United States
Though the powers of the president may seem obvious and all-encompassing, it is important to know where they begin and end. Significantly, the president must either sign into law or veto all the legislation that comes across their desk. The U.S. President can influence the child care system through executive orders, which dictate policy change at the federal level.
For example, this might look like making changes that impact the federal workforce, the child welfare system or federally funded programs, such as Head Start and Child Care. A presidential administration also has immense power to set the stage, influence public opinion and frame issues that impact children, families and the early childhood workforce for years to come.
U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives
When it comes to impacting the early childhood system, the U.S. Congress creates laws, oversees public spending and allocation of funds, approves appointments made by the president and more. Congress has primary responsibility over drafting the bills that become law, and in this way, it has a direct and immediate impact on citizen’s lives and the early childhood system. Congress controls the allocation of federal money, through which many of the programs and systems that support children and families operate.
For example,as part of the CARES Act, Congress allocated $3.5 billion of emergency funds to the Child Care and Development Block Grant. A block grant is a type of grant that state and local governments have flexibility to allocate how they wish. These funds made it possible for state and local governments to provide tuition relief for families and to keep child care providers afloat despite closure or low enrollment. Another example is the Preschool Development Grant, through which North Carolina received $40 million in December 2019 to improve early learning and support the early education system.
North Carolina Governor
The North Carolina governor has powers similar to the role of the U.S. president, but at the state level. Like the president, the governor must sign or veto legislation, but unlike the president, the North Carolina governor has a larger responsibility helping to develop the state budget. The governor’s role in influencing early childhood policy in North Carolina is significant, as education is currently the largest slice of the pie in North Carolina’s budget.
For example, current N.C.Governor Roy Cooper has served as the public face of news related to the pandemic. He has signed into law several pivotal pieces of legislation related to early childhood education during the pandemic, including a controversial law that provided funding to and loosened safety restrictions for community organizations providing remote learning care, including not requiring background checks.
Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor functions similarly to the vice president of the United States in that they help the governor execute their tasks, preside over the Senate and cast a vote in the case of a tie and take office in the event that anything happens to the governor. The North Carolina lieutenant governor serves on various councils that make decisions or influence policy related to the child care system, including the State Board of Education, the Public School Forum and the E-Learning Commission.
N.C. Senate and House
The N.C. Senate and House is referred to as the General Assembly, and has the power to create and establish laws and amend or repeal existing laws. When it comes to influence over child care policy, their powers are similar to the powers of the U.S. Senate and House because they allocate funding and create new laws, and the N.C. General Assembly has an even more direct impact on citizens’ lives since they decide how federal money will be spent locally.
For example, the General Assembly decides how to allocate the child care relief funding in the CARES Act mentioned above. House Bill 1105 was passed by the General Assembly on September 4, 2020, and subsequently signed into law by Governor Cooper. Though the bill provides $35 million in operating grants to child care programs and $8 million in child care payment assistance for families with young children, advocates expressed concerns that this is not anywhere close to the needed investment to sustain and recover the early childhood field.
Supreme Court Justices and Other Judges
Unlike at the federal level, Supreme Court justices and other state judges are elected by North Carolina residents. Supreme Court justices and other judges have the power to make landmark rulings that shape the future of policy for decades to come. These rulings establish a precedent for how similar cases will be handled in the future.
In 1994, as part of the landmark Leandro court case, five low-wealth counties sued the state of North Carolina because their students were not receiving quality education due to inadequate funding and resources. In 1997, the N.C. Supreme Court issued a ruling in agreement with the plaintiff, affirming every child’s constitutional right to a sound, quality education. In 2004, this ruling was expanded to include children of preschool age. Finally, in 2019, a report was released recommending solutions. In August, Judge David Lee signed an order which adopted a $427 million action plan to improve the state’s school and early education systems.
Mayors, City Council and County Commissioners
When it comes to policy affecting child care, counties carry out legislation mandated by state and federal governments, create local laws and ordinances and establish budgets for county services. Municipal or city governments also set local tax rates, offer services and have the power to act on behalf of their citizens.
Locally, the Durham County government contracts with Child Care Services Association to manage the collaborative Durham PreK program, for example. The Durham County Board of County Commissioners has invested more than $10 million in high quality pre-k in Durham since 2017 and is dedicating at least one penny on the tax rate for Durham PreK as a budget priority each year.
Local governments have flexible powers to support their communities directly and are more visible and more easily held accountable by everyday citizens. Local governments are a great place to advocate for quality, affordable child care, fair compensation and benefits for child care providers and supportive programs and services for families.
School Board Members and State Superintendent
According to the N.C. constitution, the state superintendent of public instruction serves as the “secretary and chief administrative officer” for the State Board of Education. The North Carolina General Assembly (N.C. Senate and House) provides local boards of education with funding and the authority to make decisions on behalf of their local school systems, and the state superintendent helps oversee how legislation is implemented in schools. Responsibilities of the School Board include providing each child with a “sound basic education” as laid out in the Leandro report, maintaining and providing safe and healthy school facilities, determining education policy and how it is implemented and managing and disbursing funding.
This election is a crucial point in time, and its results will determine how we heal and what resources we have to stabilize and fortify the field for years to come. Regardless of who is elected, we all must advocate for bold reform and stay engaged in fighting for children, families and child care providers, particularly at the local level.
What would you like to see candidates prioritizing as the child care field recovers from the pandemic?
Write to us here.
