Our mission is to ensure all children from birth through age five have equitable access to affordable, comprehensive, high-quality care and education to support their healthy development and help them achieve their full potential in school and life.
FFYF works to sustain and expand the support for early learning that exists at the federal level, while identifying and advancing new and innovative ways to increase access to high-quality early childhood education for children from low-income families. We help align best practices with the best possible policies and work with advocacy groups and policymakers on both sides of the aisle to identify federal solutions that work for children, families and taxpayers, as well as states and communities. Early childhood development is a practical, non-partisan issue—so we collaborate with a diverse and wide range of federal and state advocates, business and thought leaders, and policymakers to help build consensus and craft early childhood policies that provide lasting economic and social returns.
FFYF’s Commitment
Driven by our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are dedicated to building an equitable and effective early care and education system where all children receive the unique supports they need. At FFYF, we strongly value a diversity of backgrounds, skills, and life experiences, and recognize them as core to meeting the needs of the communities we serve. We will continue to be intentional in our efforts to create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive work environment, and we pledge to continue to educate ourselves on such critical issues.
FFYF seeks to expand federal support for all early learning and care opportunities for children from birth through age five that are high-quality and focused first on serving children from under-resourced communities.
FFYF employs three core divisions of labor that are intentionally integrated, each playing a central role: Outreach/Government Relations; Policy and Partnerships; Communications/Public Relations.
Consensus Building FFYF engages in strategic consensus-building, identifying when to lead or contribute to conversations on both sides of the aisle in order to protect the issue of early childhood education from political polarization. FFYF identifies areas of agreement and carries out education and persuasion efforts to achieve the best possible policies for children and their families.
FFYF employs careful discipline to ensure its positions on short-term policy opportunities do not compromise long-term bipartisan support and funding for early learning and care from birth through age five.
FFYF accounts for and adapts to the political and legislative environment in Washington to maximize its influence in a crowded advocacy environment. Smart and strategic influence decisions require a nimble and opportunistic approach to advocacy.
