Facts In Action

On Wednesday, February 12, 2003, early care and education advocates and practitioners from across the Commonwealth will be meeting at the Massachusetts Statehouse to convey to legislators the importance of early care and education. Advocates will be asking legislators to maintain level funding for Office of Child Care Services and Office of School Readiness funded programs, as well as to pass the new universal preschool legislation, the Early Education for All Bill.

Rosa Smith, President of The Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation, will be the keynote speaker for the morning. In addition, Commissioner David Driscoll, Department of Education, Commissioner Ardith Wieworka, Office of Child Care Services, Representative Peter Larkin, Education Committee Chair, and Senator Terry Murray, Ways and Means Chair, have been invited to speak.

The event will be held in Nurses Hall, starting at 10:00 AM. Immediately following the presentation, individual meetings have been scheduled for constituents to talk with their legislators. These meeting times will be posted on the day of the event. For those who can't come to the Statehouse, you can call your legislators on the 12^th between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. If you do not know who your state legislators are, you can find out by calling (800) VOTE-SMART, or by looking online at www.vote-smart.org. In these tough fiscal times, it is essential we get the message out to stop the cuts to early care and education!

Facts in Action, January/February 2003