2026 August Recess Advocacy Toolkit

August recess is one of the best opportunities to engage directly with your Members of Congress. As lawmakers spend time in their home states and districts, it provides the opportunity for them to hear firsthand from the families, child care providers, employers, and advocates they represent. This toolkit provides resources to help you plan your outreach, share your story, and reinforce why child care should remain a bipartisan priority.

Three Easy Ways to Take Action

1. Invite Your Member of Congress to a District Event
   • Members of Congress spend August recess meeting with constituents, making it the perfect time to invite them to visit a child care provider, attend a roundtable, or meet with local families and employers. We’ve included a step-by-step guide and sample invitation to help you get started.
2. Take Action Online
   • Our Action Center makes it easy to contact Congress and advocate for stronger child care policies in just a few clicks. Share these opportunities with your network and encourage others to take action, too. 
3. Write a Letter to the Editor
   • Letters to the editor are one of the most effective ways to elevate child care in your community and encourage lawmakers to act. If you’re interested in submitting a letter, contact Jane Fillion at mail@ffyf.org. We’ll help you draft, edit, and place your letter in a local newspaper.

Helpful Resources for Before Your Meeting 

Review FFYF’s newest national polling and your state’s 2026 Child Care Fact Sheet before meeting with your Member of Congress.

Our latest polling found:

• 72% of voters say the cost of child care is a crisis or major problem.
• 57% of parents with young children say child care is a major contributor to the nation’s affordability crisis.
• 63% of voters support the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act, with only 21% opposing.

Our state fact sheets include state-specific data on child care costs, federal investments, and how child care supports families, providers, businesses, and local economies.

Key Advocacy Priorities

As you engage with your Members of Congress during August recess, encourage them to:

• Protect and strengthen federal investments in CCDBG, Head Start/Early Head Start, and PDG B-5 through FY27 Appropriations. Learn more here. 
• Cosponsor the bipartisan Child Care Modernization Act to strengthen CCDBG, expand child care supply, and make care more affordable for families. Learn more here. 
• Visit a local child care or Head Start program to hear directly from families and providers and see the impact of these programs firsthand. See Head Starts in your district.