2016 Fall Kansas Child

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When advocates put a face on the facts, lawmakers see legislation differently. This should give us all hope and motivation to stay engaged in 2017... 14 Kansas Child
Telling Your Story to Affect Policy Change By Kansas Action for Children Putting A Face on the Facts: Lexie’s Law Less than a decade ago, Kansas ranked 46th in the country for child care oversight. Before 2010, this resulted in 30 heartbreaking child deaths over a three-year period, including 18-month-old Ava Patrick and 13-month-old Lexie Engelman. Out of their losses, the parents of Ava and Lexie—Alecia and Steve Patrick and Kim and Bryan Engelman—committed themselves to improving child care safety in Kansas so other families would be spared the same tragedy. Together with other child advocacy organizations and key legislative champions, they set about passing Lexie’s Law, landmark legislation that for the first time in more than 30 years overhauled and strengthened Kansas child care. Lexie’s Law propelled Kansas to one of the nation’s leaders in child care safety. Within two years of its passage, Kansas laws to promote child health and safety catapulted the state from 46th to third place in a report by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. Too often in policymaking, ill-conceived laws result in unintended consequences. Lexie’s Law, on the other hand, resulted in a refreshing dose of unintended benefits. Five years after its implementation, Kansas now serves as a model for child care safety. Why Stories Matter The passage of Lexie’s Law made national news, but it wasn’t an easy journey. In fact, the bill passed in the wee hours of the morning on the final day of the 2010 legislative session with the minimum number of votes it needed to go to the governor’s desk. Legislation to overhaul any industry typically takes years to usher through the process. It takes time to educate policymakers, convince committee chairs to hold hearings, to find compromise and iron out sticking points, and to get a bill to a full chamber for a vote (let alone two chambers). So how did Lexie’s Law pass in just one year? The Kansas Legislature is what we call a “citizen legislature.” That means state lawmakers work only part time. Unless they’re retired, they juggle full-time jobs (plus their own family and community obligations) in addition to their public service. Legislators cast hundreds of votes during the annual 90-day session. Some days — especially at the end of the session — they might vote on dozens of pieces of legislation in a single day. They rely on legislative staff, committee chairs, media and constituents to inform them on issues where they lack expertise. All commonsense policy is data-driven. Credible research should always indicate a clear need for changes in statute. However, data alone rarely motivates lawmakers to act quickly. Personal stories are what capture hearts, minds, and votes. When lawmakers put a face on a fact, they are more likely to understand the human implications of a bill and more likely to take action. In the example of Lexie’s Law, advocates successfully merged compelling data about Kansas’ failing child care safety system with powerful stories from those who endured unspeakable Lexie Engleman Ava Patrick Continued on page 16 www.ks.childcareaware.org Kansas Child 15
Page 1 and 2: A publication of Child Care Aware
Page 3 and 4: p. 7 p. 4 IN THIS ISSUE #SaveTheCIF
Page 5 and 6: and early childhood education in Ka
Page 7 and 8: Early education National is an issu
Page 9 and 10: Head Start and Early Head Start Hea
Page 11 and 12: Issues to Watch By Kansas Action fo
Page 13: the Kansas Statehouse Timeline Kans
Page 17 and 18: Advocacy in the Age of Social Media
Page 19 and 20: three efforts to dismantle Kansas
Page 21 and 22: classrooms were needed, as well as
Page 23 and 24: Growing Up to Be Competent, Success

2016 Fall Kansas Child

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