Invite your Member of Congress to a Meeting

Are you a child care provider? Inviting your Member of Congress for a tour of your child care center is a great way to keep lawmakers engaged and talking about child care priorities! Requesting a meeting with your member of Congress or their staff is a relatively simple process. Below is a guide to walk you through the steps you’ll need to take.

Note: You can find who your U.S. House Representative is by searching your zip code here. 

How to request a meeting with a staffer

Once you locate your Member of Congress, call the office between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and ask the individual who answers the phone for the full name and email address of the scheduler. (The office phone number will be listed on their website.)

Once you have the scheduler’s information, you can send them a short email directly requesting a child care site visit. Below is a sample email you can use as a template. Please feel free to personalize your message.

To: FirstName.LastName@mail.house.gov

Subject: Child Care Meeting OR Site Visit Request

Hi [staffer],

I’m a constituent and [provider/advocate/parent/other] from [city/state]. While you’re home for the August recess, I would like to schedule a meeting/child care site visit with you to discuss the importance of child care in our community. As a PROVIDER/SMALL BUSINESS OWNER/ETC, I know that families in TOWN rely on child care. Are you available for a tour of our child care site or meeting with parents and providers while you’re home in the district? 

Sincerely,

[your name]

Lastly

Don’t be shy to follow up! Congressional offices get tons of requests so be sure to follow up if you haven’t heard anything!