Trip to Boise offers chance to practice parent advocacy

Ready to share stories at the Capitol. From left, Volunteer Coordinator Neiva Garcia, Policy Council representative Brad Bounds and Executive Director Dorlan Hergesheimer

Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program believes that parents are their children?s first and most important teachers, and the agency supports their role as advocates for their children?s education. At a recent meeting of the Idaho Head Start Association, a group from Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program was able to take that message directly to the top ? the Idaho state legislature.

Executive Director Dorlan Hergesheimer, Volunteer Coordinator Neiva Garcia and program parent Brad Bounds traveled to Boise to the IHSA conference, an opportunity to work on advocacy for children and for Head Start programs. Bounds is the Idaho representative for Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program?s Policy Council, a group of parents of children enrolled in one of the agency?s programs. The Policy Council is responsible for reviewing and approving the agency?s policies and providing input into how services are provided.

The conference offered a chance to meet with legislators, discuss issues with parents from across the state, and take in seminars on a variety of topics, including health and wellness. To help develop advocacy skills, legislators agreed to attend ?practice? meetings with the agency delegation, in advance of the next day?s meetings with home-district legislators.

Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, Director of the federal Office of Head Start, even flew in to Boise to attend the conference. She joined in with the practice sessions with the legislators, offering her own insight and support.

The practice sessions with senators Tim Corder and John Goedde helped the group understand how to connect to the values of the legislators, and how to use language that legislators can understand. Sen. Goedde gave the advice that instead of saying, ?You need to do this,? or ?The legislature has to do that,? stories that demonstrate the effectiveness of the program in the community are more likely to make an impact. Sen. Corder was particularly interested in how the programs at Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program help people become self-sufficient.

The next day of the conference found Bounds, Garcia and Hergesheimer in front of the representatives from the agency?s own districts, sharing an audience with Sen. Johnson, Lewiston, and Sen. Schmidt, Moscow. Bounds explained what the program has done for him, personally, helping with ways to get more involved in his child?s learning and prepare him for school, offering a place on the Policy Council to be an active leader in the agency and the community, giving him a chance to make connections with other parents. As the delegation shared their stories with the senators, they realized they?d found a supportive audience. Sen. Johnson recounted how one of his own children had participated in the agency?s Head Start program in Craigmont.

That connection was important. As Garcia said, ?For them to listen and be empathetic, that?s very positive. It was a good feeling knowing that the program has impacted one of our legislators.??

What advice would Bounds have for parents who are looking to be stronger advocates for their children and for Head Start? ?There?s always something you can do,? he said. ?Donate some time. Talk to whoever will listen. [?] Sometimes it?s not what you know, but who. You have to talk to everyone, from the bottom rung to the top rung. That?s what I do.?

And Idaho?s representatives should expect to hear from Bounds again, as well as other parents and community members he?s able to convince. After all, one can?t always just trek down to Boise. But parents can still connect with their legislators via phone, mail and email, as well as when the legislators have events in the region.

?The more legislators hear about the program, the more it will stick,? Bounds said. ?If they only hear it once a year, it?s real easy to forget a conversation.?

Tagged as: Head Start, Idaho Head Start Association, Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program

Source: http://lcearlychildhood.org/trip-to-boise-offers-chance-to-practice-parent-advocacy/

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