In this assignment, you will use the following transferable skills:

• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Digital fluency
• Ethics and professional responsibility

You will use these skills to contribute to professional, in-field knowledge through the creation of three products for your Public Policy Tool Kit: a statement of the importance of advocacy in the early childhood education field, an infographic on parental involvement, and a letter to a member of Congress.

NOTE: This is a three-part assignment.

Part 1: Importance of Advocacy in Early Childhood Education

This part of your Tool Kit will demonstrate your ability to examine and communicate the importance of advocacy in early childhood education.

To complete this assignment, create a 3-page document about advocacy in early childhood education that answers the following questions:

• What is advocacy?
• Why is advocacy important to early childhood education?
• What is your role as an early childhood educator in making legislative changes?
• What ethical issues must early childhood education professionals consider related to advocacy, and why do those issues exist?
• What strategies/tips would you use to help families advocate for their children?

The document must use a professional tone appropriate for early childhood educators and can be a written report, chart, or other visual representation as long as it is original work. If you are submitting a chart or other form of visual representation, make sure to add paragraphs of commentary to provide more detailed information to support the points contained in the document. Include a separate reference page formatted according to APA standards.

Your document can be created using a variety of Microsoft tools including: Word, PowerPoint, or Publisher. (If you would like to use a different tool, please discuss it with your instructor before proceeding.)

Part 2: Infographic on Parental Involvement

An infographic is a way to present information quickly and clearly through the use of a visual representation. You can search the Internet for examples of infographics or feel free to view these examples found on the Rasmussen College website:

To complete this assignment, create a 1-page infographic explaining to families why parental involvement is important for their child’s education and for the overall well-being of the program.

Your infographic should use an approachable but professional tone appropriate for families and should include at least two (2) visual elements such as a chart or graphic to support your explanation.

The document can be created using a variety of Microsoft tools including: Word, PowerPoint, or Publisher. (If you would like to use a different tool, please discuss it with your instructor before proceeding.)

Part 3: Letter to Congress

This letter will demonstrate your ability to make sophisticated use of information including primary source material. In addition, your synthesis and/or evaluation skills will be combined with your knowledge, application, and/or analysis skills. This will be demonstrated by using information about an early childhood topic to communicate a message to a member of Congress.

To complete this assignment, do the following:

1. Choose a topic for your letter from the list below (or another topic that you are passionate about):
   • Pre-K for All campaign
   • How children learn to read
   • Health or safety guidelines for early childhood education
   • Men in child care
   • Gender identity
   • Standardized testing in early childhood education
   • If you choose a different topic, please discuss the topic with your instructor to make sure it is appropriate and relevant.
2. In 1 page, write a letter to a local member of Congress about your topic. Be sure to cover the following in separate paragraphs:
   • Who you are
   • Why you are writing (to inform, to request support, or to argue against) and what specific details you want to share
   • What action you want taken, including appropriate advocacy for diverse individuals

Your letter should include appropriate greetings, be properly addressed, and use an appropriate tone for communicating with a member of Congress. Format your letter correctly using block letter format.