Your story matters! These resources for voicing your story will help you to craft a compelling, personal story that inspires action among your neighbors, legislators, and online networks.

• How to talk to candidates
• Creating an elevator pitch
• Letter to the Editor toolkit
• Posting on Front Porch Forum
• Using your digital platforms
• How to take great photos and videos

Grassroots organizing was key to Let's Grow Kids' success, but what is it? Learn the ins and outs of grassroots organizing and how to mobilize your networks to achieve big impacts!

• Organizing to win
• Tabling 101
• Canvassing and door knocking
• House Parties
• Tips for organizing parents and caregivers
• Event sign-in sheets

• Recorded training of legislative session tactics
• About Vermont's legislative session
• Advocacy in the legislative process
• Find your legislator-organized event
• How to talk to legislators
• Public storytelling and media outreach
• Sharing your story: public comment
• Background information and talking points

• Training of Election Season Tactics
• How to elevate your issue
• How to find your candidate
• How to register to vote
• Candidate house parties — Toolkit
• Honk & Waves — Toolkit
• Speaking at candidate forums

In election years, candidates are out and about across Vermont to connect with Vermonters, understand the issues we care about most, and discuss solutions. Let’s make sure they hear, loud and clear: Child Care is Everyone’s Business!

Whether you bump into a candidate at an event, on Zoom, or at the farmer’s market, here are a few simple guidelines to speaking to them about child care:

1. Say “hi!” Start by introducing yourself. Let them know if you live in their district or have another connection to them. We want to remind candidates that this is an important issue in their community – you are their community!
2. Ask the question: “What actions are you taking to solve Vermont’s child care crisis?” Families are still paying too much for child care, if they can access it at all. A lack of access keeps parents, mostly mothers, out of the workforce – which hurts Vermont’s economy. And a shortage of well-prepared, well-supported early childhood educators (ECEs) affects programs’ ability to expand and create more child care spaces. We need to continue building access to affordable, quality child care and support the ECE workforce.
   (Child care candidates will talk about long-term public investments in their answer.)
3. Share your personal child care story. Vermont’s child care crisis impacts my/my family’s/ my friend’s/ my employees’ ability to provide my child with a strong start/ get to work/ hire employees/ retain staff/ stay open/ afford to move to/ stay in Vermont, etc.
4. Child care is everyone’s business. Investing in child care creates jobs, grows the workforce, and supports a strong and resilient Vermont economy for generations to come. When we invest in child care, hundreds of parents will return to the workforce. Making child care more affordable saves households thousands of dollars every single year, which cycles back through the local economy.

The “elevator pitch” is a quick summary of an organization and its goals or perhaps a specific campaign or effort for an organization. The objective is to clearly and memorably tell your story and your organization’s story within the course of an elevator ride, or 30-60 seconds.

• Elevator pitch worksheet
• Elevator pitch slide deck

The editorial page is among the most widely read sections in news publications. Getting your Letter to the Editor or Op-Ed published is a great way to be a strong voice for Vermont's children.

Letters to the Editor are short pieces (usually 250 words or less) that are in direct response to something recently published in the paper.

Op-Eds are longer pieces (usually 800 words or less) that don’t need to be in response to a specific article in the paper but should be timely and in connection to current events. An Op-Ed is more likely to be published if the author is a subject matter expert and/or well-known in the community.

Crafting a strategic message in 4 easy steps:

1. First, why is this issue important to you? What value do you hold that makes you care? For example, "I believe every child deserves a strong start." If this is a Letter to the Editor be sure to mention the specific article to which you are responding.
2. State the problem (tell your story). Write about the child care challenges you've experienced. Are you a parent spending more on child care than you are on housing? Are you an employer who can’t attract skilled workers with young children because of Vermont’s child care crisis? The more personal and specific you can be, the better.
3. What's the solution? Paint a picture of a better future for children and families in Vermont — what does it look like?
4. Call to action. Now that you have the reader’s attention, let them know what they can do in one simple step to bring about the solution you outlined above. Some examples include: Tell your legislators why you support increased public investments in high-quality, affordable child care, or invite folks to join Let’s Grow Kids Action Network.

Turn your Letter to the Editor into a Front Porch Forum post. Here’s how:

1. Create an account if you don’t have one, or log in.
2. Click the “compose” button to start your entry
3. Choose a category, and fill in your subject and body with your letter topic and copy.
4. Check the box to allow neighboring FPFs to view your post.
5. Click the “submit” button.

Your network already exists digitally—in email, on social media channels, and via text message. Make a statement with folks who are already close to you and care about what you have to say about child care.

• How to Take Impactful Photos & Videos
• How to Make an Impact with Your Social Channels
  • Find instructions for sharing posts to Facebook here.
  • Find instructions for posting a photo on Instagram here.
• Examples of families’ child care stories: Find a playlist of parents’ child care stories here.

Not sure how to get started taking photos and videos? Here are some tips:

Taking a Great Photo

• Understand the "rule of thirds" to have balanced photos.
• Your subject's eyes should always be in focus.
• Pay attention to the background. Keep it simple, clutter-free, and plain so it's not distracting.
• Make sure your subject is not backlit by windows or the sun.

Best Practices for Taking Selfie Videos

• Shoot vertically.
• Try to find a place that is as quiet as possible. Aim for minimal wind, and away from walls and windows if you're indoors. TV, radio, air conditioning, and ceiling fans will create a humming noise, so watch for those too.
• Pick a well-lit location and avoid shadows.
• Make sure your subject is not backlit by windows or the sun.
• Avoid wearing white, black, or intense prints, as well as hats or sunglasses.
• Try to sound as conversational and unscripted as possible. Practice saying your message aloud a few times before shooting so it sounds more natural. 
• Talk slower than you normally would.

What does organizing to win mean? We’ll cover goals, strategies and tactics you can use to structure your outreach and mobilization efforts. Continue for the nuts and bolts of getting organized.

Organizing to win means:

• Channeling emotion into action
• Coordinating activity for the biggest impact
• Keeping advocates on track
• Strengthening the team
• working together

Goals vs Strategy vs Tactics

• A goal is what you want to achieve.
• A strategy is the broader plan for you to get what you want.
• Tactics are the specific actions you will take to get what you want.

How to Get (and Stay!) Organized

• G-Suite is your friend – these are free tools for collaborating and coordinating with your people!
  • Google Drive (file saving and sharing) 
  • Spreadsheet trainings
  • Shareable Calendars!
• Spreadsheets and contact lists

What is Tabling and why do we do it?

• Tabling is reserving a table at events like fairs, farmers markets, and other community events, and creating a display for the public to see and engage with.
• Tabling allows us to connect with a new audience of supporters, add new people to supporter lists, and get the campaign message out into the community.
• Tabling 101 slide deck

Materials needed for the table:

• Campaign literature
• Marketing collateral
• Sign-up sheets
• Petitions (can bring paper petitions or a QR code that links to an online version)
• Pens
• Clipboards

Materials needed for the volunteers:

• Water/ snacks
  
• Training in a binder
  
• Schedule of volunteers with their contact info
  
• A tick sheet for tracking their conversations – typically each volunteer would have one of these and keep track of their conversations as they go. You can also have them set goals and then make it a little bit more like a game!
  
• Directions on the wrap-up
  • How do you want them to track numbers?
  • Where should signed petitions go?
  • What time and where will you check in at the end of their volunteer shift?

Pro Tips for Tabling:

• Talk with new supporters; don’t engage with opponents
• Keep going and don’t waste your time on the no’s
• You don’t have to know all the answers
• Personal story as a powerful tool
• Stand in front of the table with a clipboard in hand
• Don’t make assumptions—anyone could be interested in more info
• Use a stop line. Folks will be in a hurry, so be quick with a stop line, or a one-liner to get them to pause or stop. Examples:
  • Hi, have you heard about?
  • Hi, did you know?
  • Have you had a chance to sign the petition for child care?
• Hand over your clipboard as soon as you get someone to stop and talk to you – they are more likely to stay, talk, and sign!
• Set goals with your volunteers! Example: They can expect to have about 15 conversations in an hour and get 2-5 yeses depending on how hard the ask is.
• If someone signs a petition – make sure you can read what they wrote!

Follow-up:

• Reaching back out to supporters is key movement growth - if someone said yes to volunteering, call them within 3 days.
• Pack up materials nicely
• Return signed petitions or record the data promptly (they get lost very easily!)

Here is a great resource from the organizing community to help you learn more about canvassing and door knocking – a tactic often used by candidate and advocacy campaigns to have conversations about their campaigns and learn more about the communities they serve.

A house party is a gathering of 8-15 people at the home of an Early Child Care supporter (the host).

The goals of a house party are to:

• Introduce guests to the early child care movement.
• Motivate and inspire the group through personal stories.
• Encourage folks to get more engaged (e.g., sign a petition, host a campaign event, make calls to voters, go door-to-door, write a Letter to the Editor, or host their own house party).

Why are house parties important?

• Build support within our communities.
• Help people renew their hope and become engaged in supporting the Child Care Movement, which can lead to success in passing legislation in 2025.

Why a home?

• Intimate setting is more comfortable and easier to commit to take action.
• Not intimidating like a town hall or other public meeting.
• Builds community.

What makes a good host? A good host is a supporter willing to connect with 15-20 people in their circle of influence, extend an invitation, and share their inspiration and commitment to the Child Care Movement.

The host's simple jobs include:

• Creating a task list.
• Picking a date and time.
• Inviting more people than expected to attend.
• Emailing/calling invitees two weeks prior.
• Following up 2 days in advance.
• Organizing food and drinks, possibly a potluck.

During the meeting, the host should:

• Welcome guests and emphasize the gathering's goal, sharing a personal story.
• Encourage guests to sign a petition or make an ask and share the strategy to win.
• Have fun.

Like all volunteers, caregivers respond to authentic relational organizing:

• Be transparent in your communication.
• Build and maintain relationships purposefully.
• Acknowledge what people have done (showing up, sending an email, speaking to a legislator).
• Ask them “how” and “when” do they want to be involved and how do they want to be communicated with.
• Say “thank you” regularly.

Show respect by accommodating family needs:

• Make calls and hold events when and where families can attend.
• Ask what works: Sometimes even 9 PM works for a call because the kids are asleep.
• Assure that events are kid-friendly.
• Combine trainings, actions, and planning meetings with activities for kids.
  • Work with teammates or volunteers so that events can be held while kids are engaged in safe, fun activities.
• Arrange to be at child care programs during pick-up time. For example, we had success gathering family stories by having a cookout during pick-up time and pulling parents aside for conversations.
• See if a program can offer an extra ½ hr of child care at pick up to provide a short training or make a special appeal.
• Provide food.
• Go where families are:
  • Playground, soccer practices, after camp pick-up.
  • Kid-oriented public events and festivals.
  • Bonus points: When tabling at an event, ask if your volunteers and their families can have free admission.
• Have supplies on hand: wipes, diapers, ointment, bug spray, band aids, candy, snacks, fruit leather, and water.

Offer value-added options:

• For swag, offer feel-good or useful items: food, t-shirts and onesies, stickers, games, mileage reimbursement, simple toys to take home.
• Pay people for their time if you are asking for big commitments.

Offer to draft emails or statements for them.

Use this sign-in sheet template when you are hosting an event or tabling to collect the names and info of people who want to get involved with your cause! Pro-tip: It’s always a best practice to get someone signed up for their next activity when they are in person, so you can edit the last column to include the dates and times of upcoming opportunities if you have them pre-scheduled.

A legislative session is the period during which elected representatives meet to deliberate and enact laws. In Vermont, the State Legislature operates on a biennium, meaning legislative work is conducted in two-year increments. Thus, bills can pass in either year of the biennium. Legislators are elected to their seats to serve two-year terms and can run for their seat again in the next election cycle (if they choose).

Vermont's Legislature is part-time and made up of citizen legislators; they are our neighbors, business owners, parents, grandparents, and retirees. The legislative session runs from January to May, with the possibility of a return in June for a veto session. From June through December, legislators are not formally in session but remain accessible to their constituents year-round. Each new session begins during the first full week of January. The Governor delivers the State of the State Address at the start of the session to a joint session of the Legislature.

• Check out this video, Legislative Work and Building Your Skills for Success!, to get more information on how the Child Care Movement has used legislative session to win change in Vermont and/or tactics you can try for your advocacy.
• Use this video tutorial to find your Vermont state legislator.

Legislative Structure and Key Committees

The Vermont Legislature is divided into two chambers: the House and the Senate. Each chamber has committees, which are smaller groups of legislators who focus on specific topics. Committees are often categorized as either ‘policy’ or ‘money’ committees: (1) Policy committees focus on shaping and implementing legislation and (2) Money committees (e.g., Appropriations) oversee financial matters and the state budget.

LGKAN regularly works with the following committees, but you can find the full list of state committees on the Vermont legislature website.

Vermont House Committees:

• Appropriations
• Commerce & Economic Development
• Education
• Human Services
• Ways & Means

Vermont Senate Committees:

• Appropriations
• Economic Development, Housing, & General Affairs
• Education
• Health & Welfare

Vermont's Legislative Process

During the legislative session, lawmakers introduce bills, which are then assigned to relevant committees. For example, a bill related to child care would likely be referred to committees such as Education, Finance, or Ways and Means — committees familiar with the issue, rather than something less related, like Transportation.

In each chamber (the House and the Senate), bills must go through a series of steps before becoming law. After initial committee review, one committee will “mark up” the bill, making changes, refining the language, and then voting to pass it along to the next appropriate committee within that same chamber. This process continues until the bill is ready for a vote by the full chamber. Each bill must go through three readings before being voted on.

Once a bill passes in one chamber, it “crosses over” to the other, where the process begins again. The "Crossover" deadline — which occurs in March — marks the point at which bills must move out of their committee of origin. Bills that don’t make "Crossover" will not be voted on during the legislative session. The state budget follows its own timeline and is not subject to the same cutoff. It is common for bills to look very different at the end of this process compared to how they started. This evolution reflects input from diverse voices and the compromises made along the way.

The session may conclude with a "veto session" in June if the Governor vetoes significant legislation such as the budget. The end of the session generally marks the expiration of all bills that haven’t passed. To be considered again, a bill must be reintroduced in the next biennium (two-year legislative cycle), starting the process from the beginning.

Why do Advocacy Groups Engage in the Legislative Session?

Advocacy groups, like Let’s Grow Kids, which demonstrate public support for a cause or policy, engage in the legislative session because it’s a critical way to create long term change. It’s also a time when grassroots people power makes a big difference. When we say “grassroots,” we mean people — like you — taking action to shape the decisions made by lawmakers.

The legislative session is where bills are introduced, debated, amended, and (hopefully) passed. It’s also where advocates can directly influence those decisions by making sure legislators understand what their constituents care about, and why.

How Does Advocacy Work in the Legislature?

Advocates play a vital role by:

• Educating legislators on key issues.
• Sharing personal stories that illustrate real-world impact.
• Providing accurate data to support informed, thoughtful policymaking.

Legislators want to hear from their constituents. Your voice helps them understand how proposed laws affect real people — and gives them the backing they need to take bold action. Check out our organizing tips for more on engaging in grassroots advocacy.

Face-to-face interactions and conversations are a key way to engage your representatives – whether it’s at an event, on Zoom, or in the grocery store. Use this tool to look up who your representatives are (click the search by town button). Then use our tips to create opportunities to engage.

• How to find events: Follow your Reps on social media – Facebook, Instagram, and X are often the first places things get posted.
• Watch your Front Porch Forum for event postings.
• Ask lawmakers when they’ll be in your community next!

Each year, Vermont legislators make decisions that directly impact our communities, and they want to hear from you. Whether it’s during a candidate forum or a casual coffee chat, your voice matters.

To make the most of these opportunities, it’s important to know how to engage effectively with your legislators and share your story with confidence. This guide — specifically prepared for Vermont's child care advocates — will help you do just that.

How to Find Your Legislator:

Check out this video to learn how to find your legislator. Additionally, the State Legislature website provides the contact information for every Representative and Senator. Their emails and phone numbers are listed for constituent contact.

Ways to Connect

There are many ways to communicate with your legislators in Vermont. At LGKAN, we recommend using any of the following:

• In Person: Attend a candidate forum, legislative committee meeting, or local town hall.
• Written Communication: Send an email, handwritten letter, postcard, or direct message on social media.
• Public Platforms: Submit a Letter to the Editor (LTE) or Op-Ed to your local newspaper (more information below).
• Direct Contact: Call your legislator or reach out through a community platform like Front Porch Forum.

Remember: “Talking” doesn’t always mean face-to-face. Written communication is equally powerful.

What to Say When You See Your Legislator

Whether you’re approaching a legislator in the State House hallway, at a public event, or in your community, a quick, thoughtful interaction can go a long way. Here are tips to help guide you:

If you know them and they’re already supportive:

• You can cut straight to the point! Briefly greet them and thank them for their work. Then, share your personal story explaining why the child care crisis matters to you. Support your story with one or two key facts to strengthen your message, and clearly make your ask, such as backing a specific bill or budget request. Since they likely already know this is an issue you care about, the conversation will feel more natural and effective.
• You can say something like, “Hi Representative [Name], it’s great to see you again. I really appreciate your support of child care legislation. I wanted to share why this issue matters to me personally [Briefly share your personal story with a stat or two]. That’s why I hope you’ll continue to support funding for [Bill Name], so more Vermont families can benefit from affordable, high-quality, and accessible child care.”

If they are not yet supportive or you don’t know them:

• You will likely have to lay more groundwork. Start by introducing yourself and sharing where you live. From there, explain why you care about child care and give a bit of personal or professional background to help them understand where you’re coming from. This is your chance to share your story and then connect it to broader facts of the child care crisis that matter to legislators, such as workforce shortages, education outcomes, or the economic impact of child care access.
• When introducing yourself, you can say something like: “Hi, I’m [Your Name], and I live in [Town/County]. I wanted to take a moment to share why high-quality child care is so important to me and my community. [Briefly share your personal story, then connect it to a broader Vermont issue.] Thank you for taking the time to listen.”

Pro Tips for Talking with Legislators

• Be brief and clear, lawmakers are often short on time.
• Start with your name and where you’re from (they care about constituents).
• Incorporate relevant data and factual support that strengthens your story, either by connecting it to your personal experience or by illustrating the broader impact on Vermont.
• After you make your ask, let your legislator know that you plan to follow up with them. Framing yourself as a trustworthy, informed resource helps build a long-term relationship and shows that you’re serious about child care.
• Always thank them for their time, whether or not they agree with you

Personal stories are a deeply powerful way to advocate for change, and community platforms like Front Porch Forum and local newspapers are key spaces to share them. Legislators often read these posts to stay informed about what matters to their constituents, and community members are paying attention too. By posting publicly about the issues you care about, like child care, you not only raise awareness but may also inspire others to share their experiences or take action.

Let’s Grow Kids began as a public awareness campaign that used storytelling to highlight Vermont’s child care crisis. Volunteers shared their experiences in public forums and at community events, helping to elevate child care as a priority for Vermonters who may not have considered it before. These efforts helped build the momentum we see today.

Need help getting started? Our Letter to the Editor Toolkit offers a step-by-step guide to writing compelling messages for your local paper — and it’s just as helpful when crafting a Front Porch Forum post.

Each year, the Vermont Legislature invites community members to share their input on the Governor’s budget proposal for the upcoming state fiscal year through public hearings and public comment. This toolkit includes information on how you can both help protect investments in child care and build on the progress we’ve made by participating in the public comment process.

What is Public Comment?

Public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to share their thoughts with Legislators about how they should prioritize funding within the state budget. As a member of the public, your perspective is an important part of the legislative process.

Each year, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees hold hearings on the budget and also ask members of the public to submit comments on the Governor’s proposed budget via email. They will announce the process for giving comment each year. In 2025, comments on the proposed budget were submitted to the committees using the following email address: testimony2025@leg.state.vt.us and they requested that all emails contain the subject line FY26Budget.

How to Develop Your Public Comment

A public comment is just you sharing your child care story with legislators in writing. This worksheet can help you figure out what you want to share.

Structure of a Public Comment: There are five core parts of a public comment. Use the sections below to help you develop a first draft.

1. Introduction: Who are you? This includes your name and where you live. If you are sharing a story related to a role you hold (i.e. being a parent of a young child, working in early childhood education, a volunteer position, etc.), be sure to share this information in your introduction.
2. Why You’re Writing: What do you care about? After your introduction, state why you’re sharing a comment with the committees. This could be something like, “I'm writing to express my concern about the proposal to reallocate funding intended for child care.”
3. Share Your Story: Why do you care about this issue? Persuasive testimony includes elements of the “heart” — values, feelings and emotions — and elements of the “head” — rationale, analysis and strategy. Combining your personal story with factual information and statistics can be a powerful way to motivate others to take action (see the next section for background information and talking points!). Why do you care about child care? What are the current challenges or what is the need that you would like the Legislature to address? 
4. Your Ask: What do you want? Have an ask for the Legislature. What do you want? (Some ideas for this section include, “Please use every dollar from Act 76 for its intended purpose: solving Vermont’s child care crisis,” or “Please protect child care funding and continue to invest in our children, our families, and our early childhood educators.”)
5. Conclusion: Say thank you. At the end of your comment, be sure to thank the members of the committees for their time and consideration.

Reminders:

• This is your chance to share your story and protect child care investments. It’s okay to express frustration or disappointment, but keep your writing civil, constructive, and focused on what legislators can do to help.
• Do not make negative remarks about the Governor, legislators, or other community members who may disagree with you. Keep your comment focused on your story and your ask.

Since Act 76 passed, Vermont has made significant, measurable progress towards solving our state’s child care crisis. Public investments have already made our state more affordable for families and businesses by bringing down the cost of child care for thousands of Vermonters - allowing parents to work and businesses to hire and retain the employees they need. However, we have much more work to do to reach the goals the Legislature laid out in Act 76:

• All Vermont families who need it have access to affordable, quality child care.
• Families spend no more than 10% of their household income on child care.
• Every child has access to skilled, well-prepared, and professionally compensated early childhood educators.

We have begun to move the needle for Vermonters, and that’s the great news, but we must recognize and commit to the work ahead to get to our goals. Right now, we have a real opportunity to accelerate the impact of Act 76, further expand access to child care tuition assistance for families and increase funding for programs all without raising any additional revenue.

When Act 76 was passed, it was intentionally funded through two crucial funding streams:

• Approximately $50 million in General Funds for CCFAP and Quality and Capacity Incentives. This was intended to be ongoing, base funding, and this is the funding the Governor is proposing to cut.
• Revenue from the newly created Child Care Contribution, which was directed into the Child Care Contribution Special Fund and statutorily set aside for CCFAP. Original estimates for this fund were about $82 million annually.

Talking Points and Data

We will need to fight to protect child care funding in every state budget. As you develop your comment, you can use the following talking points and data to support your story.

Ask the Legislature to Take Action:

In this critical moment, when our state faces significant challenges and growing demands in so many areas, use one or both of the following talking points in the “Your Ask” section of your comment:

• Vermont needs to leverage this opportunity to continue to fix our child care system and not slow or put at risk this important progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve.
• Vermont needs to use every dollar allocated under Act 76 for its intended purpose: solving Vermont’s child care crisis.

Data to Strengthen Your Story

Act 76 is working, and reallocating critical child care funds puts that progress at risk. Review the following information on how child care funding is working and see if any of it can be added to your story to help support your comment.

• Act 76’s long-term public funding is making child care more affordable for families, increasing access, and improving program quality.
• Since Act 76 began rolling out, 90 new child care programs have opened and over 1,000 new child care spaces have been created.
• Compared to this time last year, more than 1,900 additional families with young children are participating in CCFAP.
• Although there’s more work ahead, we’re seeing significant progress in a short period of time. This shows that solving our child care crisis is within reach.
• Public investment from Act 76 has been life-changing for Vermont families — giving them breathing room to save, plan, and thrive.
• Vermont’s early childhood educators are the workforce behind our state’s workforce, but they are underpaid and undervalued. Of all college graduates nationwide, early childhood educators earn the least.
• Our state’s employers and our economy depend on employees being able to show up to work, and many working Vermonters with young children rely on child care to make that happen. Without early childhood educators, everything falls apart. It is important to continue investing in our child care system and our child care workforce.

See the full LGK Child Care Policy Agenda for more details!

These are tactics that can help raise public awareness around your campaign and that tend to be good places to get in front of candidates.

Parades

• Show up with signs, smiles, and supporters!
• Excellent for visibility, engagement, and community presence.
• Wear child care shirts, bring stickers or pins, or carry a banner with consistent branding.
• Tip: Practice a short chant or cheer that highlights your cause (e.g., “Child care is essential!”).

Honk & Waves

• Choose a high-traffic intersection — bonus points if a candidate or local leader can join!
• Aim for rush hour times (before or after work).
• Use bold signs with short, engaging messages.
• Bring snacks, a portable speaker, and 5+ friends.
• Have someone take photos or video for social media.

Find more information about Honk & Waves in our toolkit.

Letters to the Editor, Front Porch Forum, & Social Media

Why Share Your Story?

• Personal stories put a face to the issue and make the child care crisis feel real and urgent.
• Sharing your story publicly drives action. Stories can inspire others (community members, lawmakers, and candidates) to get involved and support change.
• Sharing your story can be a powerful first step into advocacy, and help you build confidence as a grassroots advocate.
• Every shared experience contributes to a broader narrative that fuels long-term change.

How to Share Your Story

• Write a Letter to the Editor for your local paper.
• Post on Front Porch Forum. 
• Share on your social media platforms.
• Speak at a house party or candidate forum.

Pro Tips on Story Sharing

• Keep it short: 150–250 words is ideal for LTEs/FPF.
• Focus on one key moment or theme (e.g., cost, access, quality).
• End with a call to action — what do you want readers to do? Ex: Write to their representatives, share their own stories, vote for an LGKAN endorsed candidate, etc.

Candidate House Parties

What are house parties? They're small, intimate gatherings (8–15 people) to build momentum for a cause or candidate you care about.

Tips for a hosting a house party:

• Invite friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
• Frame it as a casual but meaningful gathering to connect over a shared issue.
• Offer light snacks or make it a potluck.
• Invite local leaders, educators, or candidates to attend.
• Share your story—and invite others to do the same.
• Include a clear “ask” (e.g., sign a pledge, volunteer, write a letter, attend an event).
• Follow up with a thank-you by text, call, or card.

Here's how to find your Vermont representative or senator:

1. Start with the candidate
• Click here to find which candidates are running for the Vermont legislature.
• Search for candidates on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
• Sign up for their email newsletter
• Monitor Front Porch Forum to see if they post about events
2. Look at local party organizations
• Find your local political party chapter here.
• Check their website calendars, and Facebook and Instagram feeds.
3. Talk to people in your community who are involved or informed, such as volunteers, local activists, and town committee members.

For more information on voting, visit the Vermont Secretary of State’s website: https://sos.vermont.gov/elections.

What's the goal of a candidate house party? Host a small-ish, in-person gathering with candidates where you facilitate a discussion on child care with guest speakers (preferably from the candidate’s districts). Speakers/story sharers should cover a few different demographics (parent, grandparent, business owner, ECE, etc.). The main goal is for the candidates to leave the discussion with child care and child care voters in mind!

How to host a candidate house party

Step #1: Set the date, time, and location.

• Choose a date/location that is 2-3 weeks out to give you and your participants and speakers time to prepare. Having an indoor location or covered option in case of weather is very helpful.
• A weekend or evening event will get the most attendees, and the more kid-friendly, the better! It will be easier for parents to attend if their kiddos can be occupied.
• Some formats we’ve used in the past include:
  • Breakfast/bagel event
  • Easy group walk (bike path, neighborhood trails, etc.) with discussion after
  • Ice cream social
  • House party
• Select a convenient location (parking, accessible, bathrooms, etc.) and book it (if needed!).
• Aim for 1.5-2 hours. It will likely go over time as people tend to become really engaged with the conversation, but this is an easy “yes” amount of time for candidates, and they can excuse themselves if they need to.

Step #2: Arrange food and drinks.

• Depending on the time of day, arrange for light snacks and drinks. Make sure to have kid-appropriate snacks/drinks as well. It’s okay to keep it simple, juice boxes and chips are great!
• You can also consider a potluck if your gathering is meant to be smaller and in your home.

Step #3: Create invitations and/or an event sign-up link. 

• Once you’ve confirmed your date and location, it’s time to get the information out and invite your attendees.
  • Check out paperlesspost.com and evite.com for free online invitation templates.
  • For neighborhood/friends gathering, you’ll reach out to your personal networks and send the invitation however you feel is most effective (email, phone call, text, messenger, Front Porch Forum….)
• An easy way to invite people and track RSVPs is with an online invitation or sign-up link.
• If you send a standardized invitation (through an online service like Evite or a post on Front Porch Forum), it’s helpful to send a personalized email invitation or follow-up text to any key participants you want to make sure attend – like speakers or candidates.
• Keep your email brief and to the point. Make sure all event logistics are included.
• For candidates, make clear what the event format is and why the candidate should prioritize being there. Sample language: “Join us to hear from local parents and educators about why child care progress it their top issue this election!” // “Opportunity to connect directly with voters and hear why they are pushing for continued child care progress this election season.”

Step #4: Start inviting folks to your candidate house party! 

• You’ll want to think about guests who have lived experiences with child care and are comfortable speaking to candidates about their challenges as well as making an “ask” of them (such as: “How will you plan to fund child care in 2026?”
• You can decide if you want to host a neighborhood gathering, a close-friends gathering, or a group of LGKAN volunteers willing to share their personal child care experiences. 
• When inviting candidates, it’s best practice is to invite ALL candidates in your region/legislative district – regardless of their party affiliation. 
• Send invitations 2-3 weeks in advance (though, we’ve also seen success with short notice events!) and remind them to RSVP so you can anticipate numbers.

Step #5: Assign roles.

• Host (that's you!): You secure the location, send the invites, plan the food, move the agenda forward during the event, and answer general event questions.
• Co-host: This is a helpful role for all those things that happen during an event: food refills, restroom questions, latecomers getting caught up, taking pictures, keeping track of who came, etc.
• Time-keeper: This is helpful as it can be very easy to get lost listening to people’s personal stories. The co-host can also fill this role.
• Behind-the-Scenes Helper: They will send talking points, a general outline for timing of speakers, make a sign-in sheet, etc. This can be you or your co-host.

Step #6: Prepare your personal story and guide guest story sharers.

• Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways of connecting with candidates and elected officials. Encourage your speakers to get personal!
• LGKAN has a lot of data points for speakers to work into their personal narratives. In general, one data/talking point per story sharer is ideal – we don’t want attendees to feel like they are at a presentation, but that each story has a connecting data/talking point that matches up with their story. 
  • You can send these single data points to speakers based on what story they’re planning on sharing.
• Aim for 2-3 minutes of speaking per story sharer.
• A good variety of stories is best – a few from a parent perspective, a few business owners or employers, an ECE, a grandparent…you’ll want the candidates to see that child care affects all Vermonters, not just parents and ECEs. 

Step #7: Confirm speakers and attendees.

• Two days before the event, check in on and confirm your speakers. Ask if they want to run through their story with you or practice speaking it aloud. Remind them of the time limit.
• Two days before (or earlier, if you’re a super-planner!) draw up a rough agenda with the introduction you’ll give, a verbal outline to guests of how the event is going to go, speaker order, and general housekeeping (bathrooms, questions, etc.).
• A day before, send a reminder email to the candidates.
• A day before, send a reminder email to the non-speaker attendees.

What to do on the Day of the Event

• Ask speakers to come a half hour earlier than the candidates and attendees so they can meet each other, ask questions, go over roles, etc. without feeling rushed. This will help everyone feel prepared for a great event.
• Set up food/snacks.
• Set up sign-in sheet.
• Set up kiddo occupiers – toys, coloring books, movie…
• At event time, get ready to welcome all attendees and candidates.
• Event takes place and is AWESOME!
• At the end, thank everyone for their willingness to share, clean up, and head home!

Helpful things to consider and have on hand for the day of the event:

• sign-in sheet
• pens and paper
• paper plates, cups, napkins, utensils
• name tags
• kids toys, laptop for a movie
• hand sanitizer and masks

How to Follow Up with Event Attendees

Never underestimate the power of a sincere "thank you!" Make sure you send a follow-up to attendees a day or two after the event. 

• You can send an email, make a phone call, or pop a card in the mail to the guest speakers thanking them for their advocacy.
• You can send a general thank you email to attendees who came to listen.
• You can send a thank you email to the candidates for attending and thinking about child care as they head into the next legislative session.

An example of a well-run and well-attended candidate event:

Candidate Breakfast Agenda, One Community School

• 9:00 AM — Speakers and volunteers arrive
• 9:10 AM — Go over order of speakers, reminders for talking points, set up sign-in sheet, set up movie for kiddos.
• 9:30 AM — Candidates arrive, connect, everyone eats (bagels and coffee provided)
• 10:00 AM — Introductions and welcome by hosts, begin large group story share. Hosts set intention of community conversation on child care, identify where refreshments and bathrooms are, and introduce each speaker, one at a time.
  • Sample intro: "We have gathered a group of passionate child care advocates here today to share a bit about their personal stories to illustrate why investing in CC is an essential priority for state funding. More people than I expected took the last minute opportunity to join this conversation – that must mean that this issue is very important to our community – so I’m going to call on a few of these advocates one at a time, and afterwards we’ll have time to continue the conversation in small groups." 
• 10:30 AM — Small group conversations
  • Sample transition language: "Wow, we’ve heard a lot of really compelling stories. Our question for our candidates today is, if elected, can we count on you to fully fund child care in 2023? We’ve got about 30 minutes left to connect, let’s get up and get some more coffee and self-select into small groups by district to hear from candidates."
• 11:00 AM — Wrap up, thank everyone for coming, candidates leave
• 11:15-11:30 AM — Debrief with attendees and speakers

Current Child Care Talking Points

• Since Act 76 was passed in 2023, new public investment has lowered child care costs for thousands of families, increased compensation for early childhood educators, and allowed new programs to open and existing programs to expand. Public investment in our child care system is strengthening our workforce and economy, helping businesses grow, and making Vermont more affordable for working families. In other words, it’s working!
• At the same time, our work is not done: families are still spending too much on child care, programs need more staff, and businesses rely on a strong workforce to succeed.
• Our ask this year is to build on our child care progress by focusing on increasing affordability and access for families and strengthening the ECE workforce. Let’s keep the momentum going to build a child care system that works for all Vermonters!

What is a Honk and Wave?

A honk and wave is a simple yet effective election visibility tactic. The purpose is not to engage people in conversation about an issue or a candidate, but rather to build name recognition and show public support. You may have seen a group of people at a busy intersection or roundabout, holding signs, smiling, and waving at passing cars. That’s a honk and wave!

This tactic helps familiarize community members with an issue or candidate while also signaling that others in their community care about it. Honk and waves usually last about an hour and are scheduled during peak traffic times, such as 8-9 AM or 5-6 PM. Ideally, you want at least 5 people holding signs to create a strong visual presence.

How do I join a Honk and Wave?

Candidates and organizations will often organize their own honk and waves. This information will be available wherever they display information (social media, web page, etc.). The organization or candidate will either post where/when info, or have you sign up to receive that information through email.

How do I organize my own Honk & Wave?

1. Make your signs (enough for the number of people joining). You want your signs to be short and readable (big and bright)—people are reading from their cars! Encourage honks with signs like, “Honk for Child Care!”
2. Pick your date and time and advertise it/invite community members to join
   1. Remember: high traffic area, and high traffic time (think: stoplights, busy roads near schools, grocery stores, etc.).
   2. Aim for at least 5 people, but more = more impact!
   3. Invite friends, coworkers, volunteers, or supporters of the issue or candidate. Then create a group text or email to coordinate and confirm.
   4. Send out a reminder the day before with the location address, meeting time, what to bring, and your contact information.
3. Arrive early at your location on the day of. (Bonus points if you visit your location beforehand around the time you plan to honk n’ wave to observe vehicle traffic.)
4. Smile and wave as people drive by! Optional: bring snacks and a speaker for music!
5. Remember to thank your participants after the honk & wave! (Send an email, text, or handwritten card.)

Attending candidate forums and legislative events is one of the most powerful ways to advocate for child care in Vermont. These spaces offer unique opportunities to influence candidates, educate fellow community members, and build lasting relationships with elected officials. In Vermont, legislators truly want to hear from their constituents, and showing up in person makes a meaningful impact.

Why does Speaking at a Candidate Forum Matter?

When you’re present at a forum and ask a question, you leave a lasting impression. Each time you attend and elevate child care as a priority, you're not only informing candidates but also helping shape public opinion in the room.

Many volunteers begin their advocacy journey by attending a forum and asking a question. This small action can lead to one-on-one conversations with legislators and open doors for continued engagement. Later, when you reach out to that legislator by phone or email, they’re more likely to remember you and respond.

What You'll Gain from the Experience:

Forums aren’t just a platform for advocacy — they're also a great opportunity to learn. You’ll leave with an overview of the key issues coming up in the next legislative session. If you don’t get a chance to speak during the forum, don’t worry. Candidates are there to hear from you. Take advantage of the time before or after the event to introduce yourself and share your child care story.

Some volunteers are more comfortable connecting one-on-one than speaking in front of a crowd — and that’s great, too! The goal is to show up, connect authentically, and know that your voice matters.

Best Practices for Preparing and Showing Up with Confidence

Set a goal before you go: Decide what you want to accomplish at the forum. Having a clear purpose can ease nerves and help guide your actions. Ask yourself:

• Do I want to ask a question?
• Do I want to introduce myself to a candidate?
• Am I here to observe and learn more this time?
  

Prepare a Question Ahead of Time: If your goal is to ask a question, practice it beforehand. Tailor your question to the candidates present at the forum and consider their history on child care (if known). Here are a few strong examples:

• Are you committed to continuing to prioritize child care so we can fully solve the crisis?
• We’re making tons of child care progress thanks to Act 76—what will you do to continue this progress?
• What does fully solving the child care crisis mean to you?
• What can we do to ensure our essential early childhood educators stay in the field they love?

Do your homework: Look up the candidates before the event in order to determine:

• What office are they running for.
• Any known stances they’ve taken on child care (check out the LGKAN site for our list of endorsed candidates).
• Opportunities to personalize your question for greater impact.

Make a visual statement: Wear your child care T-shirt, sticker, or other campaign swag. Even if you don’t speak, your presence still reinforces the visibility and urgency of the issue.

Build your confidence: 

• Give yourself a pep talk. Some candidate forums draw large crowds, and it’s completely normal to feel nervous about speaking up. That’s why it helps to practice ahead of time and give yourself a confidence boost beforehand. When you speak with confidence and passion, others will hear your conviction, and your question will carry more impact.
• Attend with a friend or fellow volunteer for support.
• Remember: every interaction matters. Whether you speak during the forum or approach a candidate afterward, you are making a difference.

If you don’t get the chance to ask your question during the forum, don’t be discouraged; this can happen, especially at well-attended forums. Instead, use your attendance as an opportunity to follow up: introduce yourself to a candidate afterward or send a thoughtful email referencing the event and your passion for continued investment in child care. Forums are just the starting point. Each conversation, whether public or private, builds relationships, deepens understanding, and helps drive meaningful progress on child care.

Most importantly, by showing up and sharing your passion for child care with your representatives and your community, you’re taking a powerful step forward as an advocate. Your visibility and voice are what make change possible.