The California Community Foundation (CCF) has awarded LAUP $35,000 to build support for quality preschool by empowering LAUP parents to engage in the public debate surrounding the value of early care and education. The grant is part of CCF’s Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative, a multi-year effort to increase access to quality early care and preschool education in underserved communities.

“Our organization’s work is supported in part by this grant from the California Community Foundation,” said Dr. Gary Mangiofico, CEO of LAUP. “We truly appreciate this grant. It will help us strengthen public support for high-quality preschool education, which is a high priority for us.”

LAUP plans to use the grant money to primarily do the following:

• Increase the advocacy and leadership capacity of parents.

• Increase parental participation in preschool-early care and education reform efforts.

LAUP plans to provide training sessions to parents focusing on:

• How to meet with policymakers, including federal, state and local representatives.

• How to navigate the preschool – early care and education system.

• How to use the media to further the support of preschool education.

Parental advocacy training will also include workshops on how to use letter-writing, phone calls and in-person meetings with policymakers to strengthen public support for preschool education.

“We are pleased to support Los Angeles Universal Preschool’s successful efforts to engage parents as advocates for quality early learning programs, said CCF’s President and CEO, Antonia Hernández. “Partnerships with parents are critical to ensure children’s success in school and beyond.”