Tuesday, February 26, more than 300 early childhood educators, advocates, and allies visited their members of Congress to talk about the importance of investing in high-quality child care and early learning and why we should expand affordable access to quality higher education for the early childhood education profession. Iowa AEYC had three people in attendance; Leslie Stonehocker, Public Policy Chair; Jillian Herink, Executive Director; and Jocee Kelly, WAGE$ Counselor.

Early Childhood Day on the Hill

January 17, 2019 10:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M.

Iowa State Capitol Building

This event was held at the Capitol on January 17, 2019 from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM. This year is all about you! “The workforce behind the workforce.”

Photos of some of Iowa AEYC members, friends, and staff with Iowa's Governor and some of our Legislators and family members at the 2019 Early Childhood Day on the Hill.

Did you know ?

- 65% of parents are late to work or leave early because of child care issues.*

-Over a 6 month period, almost half of parents are absent from work at least once due to child care issues, missing an average of 4.3 days.**

We realize that child care and businesses need to work together to sustain a reliable workforce in Iowa. We partnered with some Iowa businesses and shared this importance with our elected officials.

*Child Care Aware. (2018). The US and the High Cost of Child Care. Retrieved from http://usa.childcareaware.org/advocacy-public-policy/resources/research/costofcare/ 
**Ibid