85% of our brain development occurs by age 5. During these formative years, a child’s brain is incredibly adaptable – giving their parents, caregivers, educators, and healthcare providers the opportunity to lay a strong foundation for a child’s learning, behavior, and health early in life. Ensuring that every child has access to the developmental services they need is how we raise healthy young adults and build equitable communities. However, data shows that New York State (NYS) ranks 50th in the nation when it comes to delivering Early Intervention services in a timely manner. Thousands of children in New York are stuck on waitlists due to provider shortages – each with parents and caregivers who are struggling to navigate the systems that are meant to serve them. 

The Children’s Agenda (TCA) is a leader in the Kids Can’t Wait (KCW) Campaign, a statewide coalition powered by parents, providers, and early childhood advocates. Since 2018, Kids Can’t Wait has been working towards policy and funding changes needed to ensure infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities receive the timely Early Intervention (EI) and Preschool Special Education (PSE) services they are legally entitled to. TCA also works alongside our VIPs (a base of Very Invested Parents in the Finger Lakes region who actively engage and lend their leadership and voice to the KCW campaign). In April of 2024, the VIPs formed a KCW Workgroup.  

Rochester is home to many systems-change organizations and resources that empower parents to build their skills in advocacy. VIPs are trained connectors, storytellers, organizers, and fighters ready to share their knowledge with parents from other parts of the state. We know that the issues in EI and PSE are not unique to our upstate communities. Our downstate and rural communities are struggling with long waitlists as well. This is a statewide crisis that requires statewide solutions and parents need to know that they are not alone. 

The Kids Can’t Wait Statewide Parent Network (KCWSPN) was launched in September 2024 and is led by VIPs to bring together New York parents who want to improve the EI and PSE systems. Our goal is to build parent power and boost parent engagement for the KCW campaign by providing a space for parents to learn advocacy skills, network, share resources, and take action. 

This effort was born out of the recognition that to make meaningful change at a state level, we need to connect with parents from every part of the state – lawmakers must hear from their constituents, and unified parent voices are extremely powerful. Carmen Torres, our Parent Leadership manager at TCA writes about this in her blog post: The Power of Parent Advocacy: Seven Motivators for Change in Education Policy. 

Policy change is a slow process and advocacy takes time. That is why we have developed three tiers of engagement to help parents, caregivers, and organizations decide how they can best support the campaign goals: 

Tier 1: Organize: Start a KCW workgroup in your community! 

• Highest time commitment year-round. People or organizations looking to build power in their communities by organizing their own local KCW workgroup will have direct support from KCW coalition members, including VIPs in Rochester. Organizers in other parts of the state can attend the VIP Kids Can’t Wait Workgroup’s monthly meetings (first Thursday of each month from 6:30 – 7:30 on Zoom) to stay updated on State advocacy and get guidance from VIPs on grassroots advocacy and organizing. Organizers will also report on their workgroup activities during KCWSPN quarterly meetings (in January, March, June, and September). 

Tier 2: Mobilize: Join us in Albany for Advocacy Day! 

• High time commitment but only comes around once a year. Advocacy Day is the one day in the year, during the legislative session, when KCW supporters go to Albany and meet with their legislators. The Kids Can’t Wait coalition schedules all the meetings and provides all the materials. Help arrange transportation and mobilize parents in your community to join us in Albany on February 11th! We will host virtual training sessions for all participants beforehand. 

Tier 3: Raise Awareness: Share your story, send letters, and spread the word! 

• Low time commitment with flexibility based on individual capacity. Are you in a PTA or another group with similar interests? Reach out to sushmitha@thechildrensagenda.org for flyers and information to spread the word about Kids Can’t Wait! Are you on social media? Follow the Kids Can’t Wait Campaign on Facebook and The Children’s Agenda on Instagram! When we need people to send a letter to lawmakers, we will post the links! Do you have lived experience with EI or PSE in New York? Share your story with us! Whether it is through a 1:1 interview with a coalition member, a video recording of you sharing your story, or a written testimonial – we need to hear from more parents and caregivers about their child’s experience. We will share your story on social media and with lawmakers.  

To join the network and receive meeting invites, you can go to Join the Kids Can’t Wait Statewide Parent Network 

To register for our 2025 Advocacy Day on February 11th, you can go to 2025 Kids Can’t Wait Advocacy Day Registration 

Want to share your story? Click HERE! 

Have a question? Email sushmitha@thechildrensagenda.org