[Dec-kentucky] FW: Be a Big Voice for Infants and Toddlers in Kentucky!

[Michael, Sonia]

Advocacy opportunity! Forwarded on behalf of Kentucky DEC.

Sonia Michael, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Special Education
Eastern Kentucky University
________________________________
From: Amy Hood Hooten & Judi Steilberg [jsteilberg at familyplaceky.org]
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 11:49 AM
To: Elizabeth Margaret McLaren
Subject: Be a Big Voice for Infants and Toddlers in Kentucky!


Take Action Now

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Be a Big Voice for Infants and Toddlers in Kentucky!







Hi Kentucky Policy Network Member!

We are delighted to have been selected as ZERO TO THREE (ZTT) Birth to Three State Advocacy Leaders in the Bluegrass state. This comes at a very exciting time in our nation's history and we hope to be involved with you as colleagues as we continue to make change for young children and families.

Our role as Birth to Three State Advocacy Leaders is to be a voice for the youngest children in our great state as we work within our communities, with our local government, and with our state leaders. We are both very involved in the field of early childhood education and work everyday in jobs that impact the quality of care for infants and toddlers. We are also both members of Strong Start Kentucky, an initiative of the Pritchard Committee, working toward quality among the state's young children. In addition to those responsibilities, we also work with other local and state groups advocating for best practices in the healthy development of young children.

Kentucky has dedicated many resources to the early childhood field over recent years, including the establishment of a STARS Quality Rating System, scholarship funds for early care and education professionals, and community early childhood councils. The most recent work impacting children and families across the state has been the recent revision of the state regulations impacting certified and licensed out-of-home settings. These regulations were effective July 1, 2008 and the changes made will impact the quality of child care settings for our youngest children.

Although we in KY have been moving and shaking, there are still many issues that need to be addressed that impact young Kentuckians! We can not quit speaking up on behalf of young children - we must be BIG voices for these little people.

We are writing to you to ask that you consider adding YOUR voice to ours as we advocate for Kentucky children! We value your insight, your experience and we are very interested in your perspectives regarding the issues that will best impact our children's growth and development.

We also have an exciting announcement! ZTT has constructed a group page on Facebook, the global social network community. Join our online community, with an open invitation by going to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27447911475<http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/utr/1/NGBCJMJEIP/IJNVJMJEIZ/2664432686>. If you are new to Facebook, click here<http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/utr/1/NGBCJMJEIP/HZNHJMJEJA/2664432686> for easy-to-follow instructions on how to get started. This is an opportunity to communicate with others interested in making a difference in the lives of families with young children in our state and the nation.

Join us today in spreading the word, and help us form an advocacy network of infant-toddler professionals in Kentucky who are interested in these issues. Encourage your colleagues and friends to join the ZERO TO THREE Policy Network<http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/utr/1/NGBCJMJEIP/CGUCJMJEJB/2664432686>, and we can work together as one big voice for young children in Kentucky! We also hope you'll join us on Facebook! Feel free to contact us with questions at the email addresses or phone numbers provided below. We want to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Amy Hood Hooten, EdD
Infant/Toddler Specialist, Training & Technical Assistance Services (T/TAS)
270-745-4041
Amy.hood at wku.edu<mailto:Amy.hood at wku.edu>

Judi Steilberg, LCSW
Children's Program Director, Family & Children's Place
502-636-2801 ext 219
jsteilberg at familyplaceky.org<mailto:jsteilberg at familyplaceky.org>





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