Beyond the Usual Suspects: Developing New Allies to Invest in School Readiness

This monograph provides information on how advocates might work to build a broader set of allies in the promotion of an early childhood agenda to improve school readiness. It is important to enlist a broad group of allies to invest in school readiness. Each group of allies is described in terms of its political culture, the messages most likely to appeal to them, and the assets they can contribute. The recommendations made in this monograph can be difficult for child advocates to begin implementing on their own. The State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network can help; they routinely assist organizations and individuals in locating the data they require to craft effective advocacy messages that will reach corporate leaders, State policy makers, law enforcement officials, and other allies. The appendix contains frames for crafting school readiness messages for the public to support investments in early childhood.