The Champion for the Young Child campaign is an ongoing call to action for elected officials, early childhood practitioners, providers and community partners to participate in a long term early childhood support campaign. Champions will lead the charge in many different areas of supporting youth development, from educating citizens on the importance of this period of a child’s life to advocating for improved measures in the policy world to including the unique Champions logo on communications to spread awareness of the cause.

What does a Champion for the Young Child look like? Here are just a few suggestions:

• Bring your Neighborhood Profile to a community meeting, raising awareness of where the area’s young children needs and vulnerabilities lie

• Invite OPEN to attend a neighborhood meeting or community event and make a formal presentation on our data

• Use OPEN’s resources to help leverage your ideas and communication with policymakers

• Write an opinion piece about early childhood and the successes and disparities of your area

• Connect to groups in your neighborhood such as child care centers, community organizations, that could be Parents as First Educators working groups

• Bring your your child or a group of people to the Born Learning Trail to engage in fun developmental activities

• Sign up to receive OPEN’s policy alerts and newsletters, with up-to-the-minute information on policy decisions that affect children

• Attend and testify at a State Education Committee, Orleans Parish School Board, or Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting

• Contact Legislators via email, phone, or letter with tips from our Policy Toolkit

• Join OPEN to be a part of the movement for community-aligned support of public school students