Resources and Issues
Tools to Help with Planning and Strategizing
!Brilliant toolkit on local organizing for funding children’s services
- Local Funding for Early Learning: A Community Toolkit – written and published in Spring, 2016, by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation – contains worksheets, case examples and more, from budget analysis to ballot measures. Applicable to all ages, not just early care.
Making the fiscal case for investing in children
- A GREAT OVERVIEW – Power point on Understanding Local Budgets in California, by Ed Harrington, former Controller of San Francisco and finance expert
- Research to Reality – report by Funding the Next Generation on cost-benefits of investing in children and youth
- ONE-PAGE SUMMARY of Research to Reality
- One-pagers from the Heckman Equation Project on cost-benefits of spending resources on children:
- Four Big Benefits of Investing in Early Childhood Development – a report by the Heckman Equation Project
- There’s more to gain by taking a comprehensive approach to early childhood development. One pager by James J. Heckman
- Building a Scaffolding of Support – an analysis of the economic benefits of early childhood education by the Heckman Equation Project
Youth Engagement
- Youth Engagement in Ballot Measures – handout
- NOTE: Youth Engagement in Ballot Measures – training prepared by Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Communication tips
- BEST! “Minding Our Words” – summary of research by Anat Shenker-Osorio about communication strategies for early care campaigns – Note from Margaret – “Best piece I’ve seen on how we talk about our issues.”
- Communicating Effectively about Taxes: A short powerpoint by Public Works
- Communicating Effectively about Public Budgets: Powerpoint by Public Works
- Q & A on Funding Set-asides – how to answer hard questions from critics of “carve-outs” for funding for kids, prepared by Richmond Kids First campaign
- July, 2014 editorial by Margaret Brodkin supporting Children’s Fund reauthorization
- SAMPLE MAILER: Children’s Fund mailer for election 2014
- Children’s Fund TV ad for election 2014
- Talking about Health, Housing and COVID-19 – by Berkeley Media Studies Group
- Framing 101 – by Berkeley Media Studies Group
Creating a local Children’s Budget – an important step in getting more money for kids
What is a Children’s Budget? It can include many things, but its essence is a resource map of funding for children’s services.
- THE BASICS: Children’s Budgets – power point by Funding the Next Generation introducing the basics
- San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution creating a Children’s Budget
- Template used by County Controller to collect information from City/County departments to create a Children’s Budget
How to map the resources in your local budget – This can be a year-long project, or several months, or less. We recommend analyzing what you need to take next steps, getting all the help from public officials possible, and doing it as quickly as it takes to accomplish your goal.
Examples of budget analyses done by Funding the Next Generation
Analysis of City of Pomona budget
Other tools for mapping resources:
- Sacramento budget tracking form in preparation for establishing a department of youth
- Sacramento instructions for budget tracking form
- Guide for Mapping Public Resources for Children, The Finance Project
- Webinar on Resource Mapping for Children and Youth – sign into the Ready Talk link here and access excellent information from the Forum for Youth Investment
- Realignment Reality for Children’s Advocates: Local Control Demands Local Organizing – a one-page summary of opportunities and challenges by Reed Connell, Managing Partner, Policy and Advocacy, Social Change Partners, LLC
Budget advocacy – fighting for money for kids through the local budget process
- On Becoming a Budget Champion for Children by Margaret Brodkin
- Starting your journey as a budget champion, criteria for picking an issue
- Webinar slides on understanding local budgets in California: Follow the Money – July, 2017, with California Budget Project and Funding the Next Generation
- Understanding Local Budgets in California – slides from workshop by Ed Harrington in 2015 (still relevant)
- Budget Advocacy Workshop by Margaret Brodkin, March, 2018
- Communicating Effectively about Public Budgets – power point by Public Works: Building Public Will for the Common Good
Examples of Children’s Budgets and Children’s Bills of Rights
Cities and Counties in California
- San Francisco’s Children’s Budget, the document which led the way for the San Francisco Children’s Fund
- San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution creating a Children’s Agenda (Bill of Rights)
- 2014 Solano Children’s Report Card, Children’s Network of Solano County
- Solano County’s Children’s Budget
- Solano County’s Children’s Agenda
- Solano County’s Board of Supervisors Resolution supporting a Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
- San Luis Obispo’s Children’s Bill of Rights
- GREAT MODEL: San Joaquin Children and Youth Bill of Rights
- MarinKids, Data and Action Guide summary
- Napa County Children’s Bill of Rights
- ANOTHER GREAT MODEL: Santa Clara County Children’s Bill of Rights
- San Mateo County Children’s Bill of Rights
- Los Angeles’s City Budget Training Primer, The Advancement Project
- Los Angeles County Budget Training Primer, The Advancement Project
- San Diego Children’s Budget
Cities around the country
- Philadelphia Children’s Budget
- Colorado Children’s Budget, Colorado Children’s Campaign
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Children’s Budget, Defining Our Investment in Children
- Oregon’s Comprehensive Children’s Budget, Early Learning Council
- Missouri, Youth Development Policy Handbook and Children’s Budget
National and state
