Meet Casey Henderson, mother of Payton, a student at Educare Central Maine. In 2017, Casey moved to Waterville, Maine to escape domestic violence and receive support for drug addiction recovery. Soon after enrolling her son in Educare Central Maine, she joined their Parent Ambassadors program, an initiative that elevates the voices of parents by engaging them in policy advocacy. She hoped the program would help her gain confidence and allow her to find her voice, she learned it would do so much more.

Recently, we sat down with Casey to talk about her involvement in the Educare Central Maine Parent Ambassadors program and how that has influenced her life as a parent and advocate.

1. How did you connect with the Parent Ambassadors program? What’s your role?
   After many hesitations and some pushes, I became a parent ambassador for the 2017-2018 term. I was unsure if it was my thing at the beginning, but the experiences I have been given are amazing, including testifying at the State House on the Leveraging Investments in Families for Tomorrow (LIFT) Act that made the first TANF increase in 25 years, to getting a hug from Susan Collins and having the opportunity to go to Washington, DC, Austin, Texas, Seattle, Washington and Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a Parent Ambassador alumni today, I am working as a peer mentor with the current ambassadors, helping to create a state-wide parent ambassador program, and continuing to work within the legislation process – telling my story and testifying.
2. Why is the Parent Ambassadors program valuable to you and how do you think your involvement has impacted Payton?
   Becoming a parent ambassador and a part of the Educare Central Maine community was such a blessing to me and my child. Gaining confidence within the parent ambassador program and finding my way as a woman in long term recovery, I finally had the courage and support to reenroll in college. I will be graduating in May from KVCC with my associates in Mental Health and have already been accepted to the UMA mental health and human services program. Moving to Waterville has changed my life, but if it wasn’t for the support and love that Educare, the parent ambassador program, and especially Joni Sprague has given me, I do not feel I would have made it this far. I am finally becoming the woman I was meant to be and giving my son a great example of life.
3. What have you gained from your participation? What have you been able to contribute?
   I have gained acceptance for who I am and that is something I have not had for a long time. I have gained self-confidence, resiliency, respect, hope, faith, and the willpower to do whatever I want to do knowing that the sky is the limit. I hope I have been able to contribute to my community and state as a part of the parent ambassador program. But most importantly, I hope I am inspiring other parents and showing them if I can do it, so can you and I will take the step with you to get to the top.

I’m starting my seventh year with Kansas Action for Children (KAC) and have spent the last two and a half years as President and CEO. My entire professional adventure has been spent in the realm of kids – leading policy efforts on behalf of kids affected by sexual and domestic violence, evaluating state and federally funded programs targeting kids affected by adverse childhood experiences and now advocating to make Kansas the best state to raise – and be – a kid.

I have long been passionate about issues pertaining to social justice, anti-racism work and addressing inequities and discovered my greatest strength was in doing macro, or systems and policy-level work. It’s abundantly clear to me that the legacies of unfairness caused by systemic racism have created an inordinate number of obstacles for communities of color in the U.S. and my greatest opportunity to address them is starting with the services and programs that intersect with children and their families. As a nation we have yet to fully realize what a thriving, fully inclusive society could look like and I’m motivated to work on the construction of that vision starting with the support offered before kids arrive and the equitable opportunities availed the moment their feet touch the ground.

1. What happened during the midterms in Kansas and how does this change in party and representation impact the state’s early childhood field?
   Kansas had an array of changes made during the midterms – after enduring eight years of a gubernatorial administration that decimated services and programs for kids and families, the state chose a new Governor who declared her desire to make things better for Kansas kids. As a former state senator and long-time early childhood champion, Governor-elect Laura Kelly has vowed to repair the vast damage done and craft a new vision for our state. We’ll also be sending two new members to the US House of Representatives – both being new to elected office and giving Kansas Action for Children the opportunity to cultivate relationships and press upon them the importance of robust federal support for Kansas’ youngest people. All 125 seats of the Kansas House of Representatives were up for re-election and the breakdown by party largely looks the same – but that has rarely told the story of what’s possible for Kansas kids and families. At KAC we have long been sincere about being non-partisan and building relationships across the aisle – and the ideological spectrum – so that opportunities for Kansas kids can be embraced and championed by all.
2. What have you done to prepare your advocacy work for this new administration and legislature?
   We took a number of steps this election season to connect with all candidates – we reached out electronically prior to and after the primary elections. We sent hard copies of new reports to candidates ahead of the general election and we reached out to candidates who were unopposed to meet with them to discuss our policy priorities for the upcoming legislative biennium. We crisscrossed the state on a month-long roadshow in October, talking with community audiences about what was on the line for Kansas kids in the upcoming election and why what happens to kids matters to every Kansas resident – retired seniors, childless adults, business owners, healthcare providers and so many more.

   Undoing the damage done by an extremist administration won’t be accomplished in one election cycle and our aspirational vision for kids in our state can’t be achieved if all folks do is vote. Our long game at KAC is to create a statewide corps of champions who show up for kids – at the ballot boxes, on weekends at legislative forums, at the statehouse for legislative hearings, and when they’re talking with friends and neighbors.

3. What advice do you have for advocates who did not experience favorable outcomes in this last election cycle?
   We didn’t sit idly by as the last administration balanced unaffordable tax cuts on the backs of kids, we fought – by framing the dialogue with media and the public, by canvassing the state year-round speaking to communities and by working with like-minded lawmakers to create momentum in the other direction. We proved a lot was possible in the last two years, even with a gubernatorial administration that actively worked against the wellbeing of Kansas kids. Now with a Governor-elect that understands and prioritizes the needs of kids, paired with a body of returning lawmakers who KAC has worked with and newly elected members we’ll get to know, we think that there’s a lot of possibility to keep building on the outcomes from the last legislative biennium.

   We’re also keenly aware of all the ways in which we can assist with positive outcomes outside the statehouse – through administrative rules and regulations. That was a path that has been inaccessible to us at KAC over the last eight years, as the leadership put in place by the previous administration shared little interest with us in doing what was in the best interest of children. So, while there may be some bigger items that consume a lot of time and attention during the legislative session, we’ll also be hard at work building relationships with the new leadership put in place by Gov-elect Kelly in agencies and departments that wield great power for kids and families – and it probably comes as no surprise that like other advocates across the country, we have a host of ideas for them that they can get started on right away to tackle childcare access and affordability, increasing supports for families and addressing the health of infants and their mothers.

If you ask Jamal Poindexter what he remembers from his days in Educare, many of his stories will be familiar: class parties, making friends, and expressing his love of music with the aid of a stack of blocks and some makeshift drumsticks. “I also remember [the classroom] being a lot bigger!” he says with a laugh.

Now in his first year at the SAE Institute Chicago, Jamal praises Educare for teaching him skills that have benefited him as he pursues a future in music production and as a recording artist. “I build all the instrumentals for my songs myself, but as an artist, you have to work through a team. [Being at Educare] started me off socializing with other people the right way, and I think that’s a big part of life in general –learning to interact with people you work with, people who you might have conflict with, and you learn how to deal with it.”

Long before entering college, Jamal put those skills to use working on film sets with the likes of Chicago icon Chance the Rapper and rehearsing with his drumline for their performance at the inauguration of President Obama. He also made a big impression on executives from Def Jam Records, who co-sponsored the construction of a recording studio at his high school, along with Adidas.

It’s a skill set he hopes the next generation of Educare students will have the opportunity to learn. “I hope that the kids there now and in the future become more outspoken than my generation…That they’ll have a voice and words to put out—of encouragement, change and new ideas.”

Freshman Illinois House member Rep. Curtis J. Tarver II is hitting the ground running on issues impacting early childhood education. He replaces longtime early childhood advocate Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, who spent decades in the General Assembly championing early education programs and reform. Rep. Tarver has some big shoes to fill and it looks like he is up to the challenge.

A father, lawyer and small business owner, Rep. Tarver believes that all children should have access to high-quality education regardless of where they were born or the socio-economic status of their parents.

Rep. Tarver holds a seat on two key House education committees, including the Child Care Access & Early Childhood committee.

Recently, we sat down with Rep. Tarver to find out more about why he champions early childhood education and what he hopes to accomplish this legislative session.

1. How have early care and education programs impacted your life?
   I will speak to my daughter because I believe that is more appropriate in relation to my passion for early care and education programs. My daughter attends the one of the best public schools in Chicago because she was fortunate enough to attend a very supportive yet rigorous daycare and pre-k. I am affected in that one should not have to be born to two lawyers, who can afford to pay for the best opportunities, in order to have quality care and educational opportunities.
2. Why is advocating for early childhood education important for your constituents and/or the state?
   Advocating for early childhood education is necessary because our children need a solid educational foundation. Everything builds from that point. Approximately fifteen percent of our state is a child in a public school between kindergarten and high school. To put children in a position where they are playing catch up from the time they get into kindergarten is unsustainable.
3. In your estimation, what are the biggest opportunities to improve the state’s early childhood system in the coming weeks, months, and years?
   The biggest opportunity is to give it the focus it deserves. It should be a fundamental right to for a child to have access to care, services and education. They should not have to win a parental and financial lottery in order to have his or her basic needs met with quality care and dignity. We have an opportunity to prioritize, from a fiscal perspective, the importance of children’s well-being.
4. What do you hope to accomplish during the 2019 legislative session?
   I hope to increase access to early care and education programs. Furthermore, I want to provide incentives to increase the retention of pre-k teachers. I also look forward to supporting efforts to increase the minimum wage and ensure individuals who are committed (especially) to our children can earn a living wage.