The Central Coast Early Childhood Advocacy Network is proud to have hosted the 5th Annual Parent Power Summit. A special thank you to all of our sponsors, speakers and participants. We are extremely proud of all of the participation and support from the community. We hope that together we continue to improve childcare in our region an make our voices heard.

Our hearts are full and we are so happy to have spent time together to celebrate, reflect, and learn. We hope that parent voice and leadership continues to grow in our community so that together we create a better future for our children and families.

The Central Coast Early Childhood Advocacy Network is delighted to present the 2023 Policy Learning Community, a five-session bilingual series where parents will learn about Advocacy 101 & Storytelling, the Road Map to State Policy Change, Preparing to Meet Our Legislators, Participate in Legislative Visits, and a Celebration Event. Please note that to participate, the participant must attend all sessions.

The 2023 Learning Together Technology workshops took place in partnership with Loaves Fishes and Computers. Loaves Fishes & Computers helps bring information and knowledge about technology services in the tri-county area. Together, we hope to continue to learn and grow in this technology driven world.

The 2023 Parent Power Summit was an incredible event! A special thank you to all of our participants and speakers. Our hearts are full from such a powerful and inspiring summit, we hope that parent voice and leadership continues to grow in our community so that together we create a better future for our children and families.

Community leaders gathered virtually to learn about our state & federal elected representatives and redistricting.

In an effort to redesign the Behavioral Health systems in California to better serve all families, the Children's Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) is developing a large-scale plan to increase funding and support for mental health. CYBHI reached out the Central Coast Early Childhood Advocacy Network (CCECAN) as a trusted resource to help them include parent voices in the process of designing effective systems for children. CCECAN parents joined a focus group to share their experiences with mental health services and to provide recommendations on what they want to see. Parents emphasized the desire for sufficient and responsive staffing, culturally and linguistically capable staff, couples counseling, system navigation services and more. Read the full report here.

Our annual legislative visits with elected representatives offers an opportunity for CCECAN to uplift our policy priorities and for parents leaders to speak directly with policy makers. This year, we had the opportunity to meet with Senator Anna Caballero, Assemblymember Mark Stone, Assemblymember Robert Rivas, ad Senator John Laird. We heard powerful and impactful stories from multiple parent leaders to highlight the need for increased support for child care, mental health, housing, and early childhood programs in our communities.

Every one of us has the power to influence positive systemic change to better support children and families. In this workshop, we provided an overview of the roadmap to policy change in California, offered time for Q & A, and asked participants to share what topics they are interested in learning more about to inform future workshops and activities geared toward the needs and interests of service providers/agency leaders .

Parents from Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties joined our second virtual & bilingual workshop to learn about the legislative system, the importance of advocacy, and the power of storytelling. Parents in this learning community worked closely with experienced community leaders to build and practice their advocacy skills and had the opportunity to speak with their elected representatives at legislative visits in the Spring.

Our 3rd annual Parent Power Summit was co-hosted with CORE Investments SCC and brought together over 75 advocated from across our tri-county network. The Summit focused on how we can cultivate Community Resilience, Family Wellness, and Culture and Belonging to support thriving families. We heard from parent leaders about how we can uplift these essential values in our families and communities. Participants practiced using their personal stories to create a call to action and policy change.

We were so excited to host our second virtual and bilingual town hall meeting with Congressman Jimmy Panetta in November 2021. In partnership with CORE Investments Santa Cruz, we brought together parent facilitators and expert panelists to discuss the most pressing challenges Central Coast families are facing today. The discussion focused on child care, education & school systems, support for immigrant families, and child care.

After a year of challenge and change, families and children need the support of our representatives this year now more than ever. This Spring, we had the opportunity to meet with five of our local representatives including Assemblymember Rivas, Assemblymember Stone, Senator Caballero, Senator Laird and Congressman Panetta. Our Parent Pilot Cohort spoke to important issues impacting their lives including mental health, economic hardship, child care and our school system.

This year we hosted our Parent Power Summit virtually! Joined by almost 100 participants from the three central coast counties, we were once again inspired by the incredible strength and resilience of parents. Our conversation focused on collective recovery for all families by advocating for children with special needs, establishing strong relationships with our schools, and improving public communication.

In collaboration with Core Investments Santa Cruz, CCECAN hosted a virtual Town Hall meeting featuring Congressman Jimmy Panetta and multiple esteemed panelists. This discussion was centered on families, children and our collective recovery from the current economic, social and environmental challenges we are facing. With childcare, education, health and racial equity at the forefront of our discussion, we heard from community members and experts to unpack systemic factors that hinder families’ ability to thrive and explored how we can use our voices as advocates to evoke positive and lasting change.

This workshop invited community members, parents, and advocates to come together and build on previous workshops to prepare attendees for the Town Hall Meeting: Centering Children and Families at the Heart of Recovery. Focusing on community recovery from the three pandemics (wildfires, racism, COVID-19), facilitators worked with participants to practice storytelling skills as a tool for advocacy. Using our identities, personal experiences and values, we can convey a powerful message and make a difference on behalf of children and families.

Parents are some of the strongest leaders in our network and in society. Our Parent Power Summit creates a space for parent leaders & advocates from Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties to connect and learn more about working to support thriving children and families. With a focus on Leadership & Community Organizing, Advocating for Our Children at School, and Demystifying Systems of Power, this summit fosters individual and group development, social connections and discussion.

Lobbying and Advocacy 101: Lobbying is not only legal – it’s one of the most effective means for nonprofits to advance their missions. Whether influencing your state’s budget, protecting Medicaid, or passing marriage equality laws, there are many reasons that 501(c)(3) public charities choose to lobby to achieve their policy goals. This comprehensive workshop explains what lobbying is and why it is so important.

Nonpartisan Advocacy in Partisan Times: You know your 501(c)(3) organization is supposed to stay nonpartisan, but are you allowed to praise a politician who champions your issues? Can you criticize the policy decisions of someone running for re-election? This workshop teaches you how to how to engage in public policy activism, while understanding and respecting the guidelines.

Central Coast Early Childhood Advocacy Network is joined by Margaret Brodkin from Funding the Next Generation for a workshop on the ins and outs of establishing secure Children’s Funding. This workshop teaches participants strategies to optimize the amount of funds allocated for children and youth development programs that support their success and well-being. Learning how to properly navigate securing funding and gaining confidence in your to do so enhances your ability to be a champion for youth everywhere.