Join Us in asking California’s senators to support FY20 Federal appropriations for Head Start

The time is now. Advocacy is at the core of our mission. That advocacy most often consists of educating elected leaders by sharing stories and inviting them to our programs. But there are times when we need to make the ask, and that time is now. FY20 appropriations are being debated now. We need to contact legislators now. We need the united voice of Head Start California to be heard – and that means we need thousands of single voices. (Tens of thousands would be better.)

If you have not done so yet, use this link now to send your personal letter to your state senators to support the FY20 appropriations for Head Start funding. Then, share the link. Because if every Head Start employee and parent sent a letter, our senators would receive over 120,000 letters. That’s powerful.

The ask

Some years ago, a nonprofit leader, Jim, was sitting across the desk from the CEO of a potential donor with the means to give a lot. Jim walked into the room prepared to ask for $25,000. He spoke about his organization, its mission and values, and the benefit to the community. After a good discussion, the CEO said, “Well, how much were you thinking about?” Jim hesitated. Instead of asking for $25,000 he said, “$250,000.” The CEO nodded thoughtfully and said, “Okay.”

Jim fully believed that if he had asked for just $25,000, the CEO would have said, “Okay.” And if Jim hadn’t asked at all, he would have gotten precisely nothing. This is the danger of not asking.

The National Head Start Association is helping us to elevate our collective ask. California has the largest Head Start system in the country. Let’s make sure our collective voice reflects that. Please take one minute to send a pre-drafted letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

After the letter:

NHSA’s Fall Leadership Institute is just four weeks out: Sept. 22-26. Hill day is Wednesday, Sept. 25, with a Head Start rally from 9 a.m. -10:30 a.m., followed by congressional visits. Each year, Head Start California offers to assist members with scheduling those visits. When you register for the Fall Leadership Institute, NHSA sends us the California registrants’ contact information, and we reach out directly to you. So, step one: register for the Fall Leadership Institute. We hope to see you in D.C.!