General Tips

• Make your presentation as personal as possible (incorporate examples from your own experience)
• Use specific examples whenever possible to illustrate a point
• Suggested handouts: KAP1 pamphlet & strategic plan (download from www.vtkap1.org).
• Share your passion with the audience!

1. Introduce yourself (your organizational affiliation, role in KAP1, etc.)

2. Ask others to introduce themselves (so you know who you're talking to)

3. Review your presentation (so people know where you're heading in your talk)
   1. Overview of KAP1: what the coalition is; how the coalition got started; policy initiatives; structure; how to get involved

   2. You may want to ask people to hold their questions for discussion at the end unless they don't understand something you've said (this depends in part on how many people you're talking to and your own style)

4. What is KAP1
   1. KAP1 is a statewide, grassroots coalition that is building a coalition of individuals, organizations and businesses committed to improving the state's early care and education system
      1. KAP1 is sponsored by four organizations: Parent to Parent, VT Child Care Providers' Assoc., Voices for Vermont's Children and Windham Child Care Association (see www.vtkap1.org for more information about these organizations)

      2. KAP1's vision statement: "All children in VT have access to early childhood services that are high quality and affordable and offer a livable wage to teachers and providers. These services will promote a love of learning and help young children to thrive."

      3. KAP1 partners with other organizations, including but not limited to the VT Association for the Education of Young Children, the Peace and Justice Center and the VT Head Start Association.

         Example: KAP1 has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington to work collaboratively on health insurance and wages; this led to the formation of a joint PJC/KAP1 Health Insurance and Wage Subcommittee, which is a subcommittee of the KAP1 Legislative Committee

   2. History: How KAP1 Got Started
      1. At an August 2000 mtng. of directors of advocates and the state's child care resource and referral agencies, there was discussion of working to push early care and education legislation
         1. the 4 sponsoring organizations mentioned above volunteered to spearhead the effort

      2. A diverse group, convened by the Child Care Fund of Vermont, had been meeting during 2000 to develop an early care and education Strategic Plan. At a November 2000 meeting, participants in this process agreed that KAP1 would take the lead on implementing the Strategic Plan
         1. the Strategic Plan forms the basis of the KAP1 policy package; some initiatives have been added to KAP1's policy platform since Nov. 2000

   3. KAP1 Policy Initiatives: See policy platform at www.vtkap1.org.

   4. How KAP1 is Structured
      1. Organizing Committee (comprised of the 4 sponsoring organizations)
         1. Kim Friedman from WCCA = contact person (tel. 348-9879 or advocacy@windhamchildcare.org)

         2. Org. Comm. handles KAP1 endorsements, does outreach to new allies, maintains the KAP1 email network, convenes statewide meetings, develops and supports regional/local KAP1 teams.

      2. Legislative Committee (larger group, open to anyone who wants to participate; participation requires regular attendance at meetings to ensure continuity)
         1. Sheila Reed from Voices for Vermont's Children = contact person (tel. 229-6377 or sreed@vermontvoices.org)

         2. Leg. Comm., which meets regularly, is responsible for determining legislative priorities for a given year. Priorities are influenced by external factors (e.g. interest among possible legislative sponsors, the economic climate, where a bill is in the legislative process, budget cuts) and internal factors (e.g. interest among KAP1 coalition members and willingness among KAP1 supporters to work for a specific bill).

      3. There are volunteer regional teams in about half the regions of the state. Organizing Committee is working on developing teams in all the regions (some teams are affiliated with their local Early Childhood Council; some are independent of any group).

      4. KAP1 email network = main form of communication among coalition members and supporters

   5. How to get involved (distribute KAP1 pamphlet; see pamphlet for contact info. for #1-5 below)
      1. Endorse the coalition

      2. Join the email network

      3. Volunteer to call your legislator, write letters, etc. (see options on Endorsement Form)

      4. Get involved in a regional/local KAP1 team

      5. Join the KAP1 Legislative Committee

5. Conclusion (just a suggestion!)

   KAP1 isn't just about getting more $ for early childhood services. It's about changing attitudes about what constitutes a "good" out-of-home childhood experience, the value of early care and education services, who's responsible in our society for raising our children (personal vs. collective) and the impact on society of adequately supporting (or not) our early care and education system

   Our work requires patience and a long-term view of where we want to end up. Change comes slowly, but as the suffrage movement and the civil rights movement demonstrate, policies change when people express their dissatisfaction with the status quo.