Making Iowa Child Policy Advocacy
Voices Heard
Iowans have a unique opportunity to shape Presidential candidate views on issues and to begin the selection of candidates on the basis of their positions. As they travel throughout Iowa, Presidential candidates will respond to literally thousands of questions from grassroots, concerned Iowans on wide-ranging issues.
This page provides guidance on making children's issues a part of the Presidential caucus season in Iowa: first as Presidential candidates go out to meet with Iowans and second as Iowans participate in their party caucuses.
Attending Candidate Meetings and Events. Any Iowan is welcome to attend most Presidential candidate events to meet and hear the candidate speak. Events are often established on short notice, however, and county political parties frequently are called upon to "get the word out" about them. Notices of upcoming events often appear in local papers, but it also is helpful to contact the county party chair to ask to get on any email or telephone tree notification list regarding upcoming activities. In addition, there are several places that track candidate visits [Every Child Matters, Des Moines Register].
Asking a Child Policy Question to a Presidential Candidate. Iowans expect that Presidential candidates will both give a speech and respond to questions. The more that candidates are asked questions about child policy, the more they are likely to give those attention and asking questions can even help candidates to develop their positions on issues. While most candidates have public positions on education and welfare, their views on such issues as children with disabilities, children in foster care, or English language learner children and early childhood or elementary education may not be publicized or fully established. Itsaboutourkids is particularly committed to encouraging Iowans to raise child issues at Presidential candidate events and has developed a list of possible child policy questions to raise.
Participating in Party Caucuses - Presidential Preferences. Anyone who will be eighteen by the November, 2008 election (and therefore eligible to vote) can participate in either the Republican or Democratic party caucuses, held in over 2200 precinct locations around the state. Participants have to choose which party caucus to attend and declare themselves as members of that party and there is an opportunity to register to vote, as well. Iowa's voter registration requires people to designate a party in order to vote in a primary, but individuals can change their party preference at any time and it is not binding on how one votes.
Both Democratic and Republican caucuses truly welcome new participants and both represent grassroots democracy in action. They do their Presidential preferences somewhat differently, however. At the beginning of the Republican caucuses, all participants will cast a vote for their choice of candidate. At the beginning of the Democratic caucuses, participants will align themselves into candidate preference groups which will eventually select county party delegates. More details on both the Republican and Democratic caucus selection processes are provided.
Participating in Party Caucuses - Child Policy Issues. After the Presidential selection process, participants are free to leave, but the caucuses also will engage in other party business, including sending any policy recommendations to for the county party platform.
In addition to participating in selecting the party's nominee for President (which is one of the first orders of business at the caucus), the caucuses start the process of forming the party's platform. Anyone attending a caucus may propose a "resolution" that the caucus goers can discuss and approve or reject. Approved resolutions then go on through the county, district, and state conventions in developing the state party platform.
This is an opportunity to raise any child policy issue, but they should be put in resolution form. The following frames each of the nine questions posed by itsaboutthekids to the Presidential candidates in the candidate in resolution form. It is a good idea to have a written copy of the resolution or resolutions to be introduced available, so that they can be accurately reflected when the precinct resolutions are sent on to the county level.
The caucuses represent true grassroots political involvement, and raising children's issues is important to show that children's issues are important throughout the state.
Nine Child Policy Questions as Caucus Resolutions
The following are sample resolutions for each of the nine issues. They could be proceeded by a general description, like the descriptions provided to the Presidential candidates, or simply be presented as specific resolutions.
Whereas there are critically important children's issues that need to be part of policy making at both the state and federal levels, Be it resolved that: the [Democratic/Republican] Party supports:
(Child Care) increased federal and state funding to improve working parents' ability to access quality child care programs at affordable costs
(Preschool) public support for all children to have access to pre-school experiences that help insure school readiness
(Health Care) providing health insurance to all Iowa children
(After School Programming) increased state and federal funding to provide after-school programs
(Child Welfare) federal and state funding to insure the safety and well-being of children who have been abused and to prevent abuse from occurring
(Children with Special Needs) services that enable children with physical and mental disabilities to be fully integrated into society
(Raising Student Achievement) concerted attention to raising achievement and closing the education gap between poor and minority children and other children
(Welfare Reform) federal and state welfare policies that help families both get off welfare and out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency
(Family Economic Security) expand the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit to enable low-wage workers to economically support their families