Five State Power Sharing Initiative

Five States Power Sharing Convening FOLLOW UP PACKET

This meeting was the first-ever convening to workshop the NCIT’s new Prenatal-to-Three (PN3) Power-Sharing Initiative. This event was comprised of State Advocates from the 5-States of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi and Texas as well as 35 National Partners. Together, these five states are home to nearly 20% of the nation’s children under age three and have traditionally had a more challenging time passing PN-3 policy. The States were invited to share their experiences and lesson’s learned with each other, and the National Partners. National Partners were invited to learn from the States and think about ways to combat the chronic ‘underinvestment’ they often experience in nationwide advocacy efforts.

The event was a unique opportunity for state and local policy advocates to collaborate with the NCIT partners, sharing their ideas, needs, aspirations, and current realities. The discussions and recommendations that came from them will help the NCIT in mapping out ways to do a little more to elevate and build political power to support the unique needs of infants, toddlers, expectant parents, and caregivers.

Convening Process & Products

During the two days together, the participants went through two rounds of caucusing as States or National Partners and then came together to share lessons learned and discuss possible next steps going forward. Throughout the event a “Give and Get” asset mapping activity was continuously populated by participants in the room based on their conventions about possible collaborations.

Convening Goals 

• To explore what it means to share power within a nationwide advocacy movement while building camaraderie and trust as we learn more about each other’s superpowers.
• To learn from state and local advocates in five states about the current conditions for Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) advocacy.
• To develop and deepen relationships within priority states, between priority states, among national partners, and between national partners and state and local PN-3 advocates.
• To challenge the NCIT, as a nationwide advocacy movement, to strengthen the conditions for PN-3 advocacy in the five states in ways that most reflect the aspirations, needs, and wants of the states.
• To map out, together, a specific set of action items with clear next steps and timelines.

• A Better Balance
• Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors
• Alliance for Early Success
• American Heart Association
• Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP)
• AVANCE Inc
• Center for American Progress
• Center for Law and Social Policy
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
• Civitas Public Affairs
• Future Caucus
• HealthConnect One
• Help Me Grow National Center
• National Women’s Law Center
• Partnership for America’s Children
• Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center
• Prevent Child Abuse America
• Southern Education Foundation
• State Innovation Exchange (SiX)
• UnidosUS
• ZERO TO THREE

National Partners, after hearing from the States at length, took time together to think strategically about how to support State efforts. Their aim was to identify ways in which they could provide customized and targeted supports, with a lens towards equity to address the gap in supports these States have long suffered. They began this process with discussions to summarize what they learned about the strengths to build on in each state and as well as lesson’s the States have learned that could shape some strategic support. They then discussed possible common themes among the states, before identifying a few high potential support efforts that might benefit from collaboration among the partners.

Trends Across the Five Sates

What are distinctions/uniqueness’ in these 5 states (re PN3 advocacy)?

• Be public vs be stealth
• Messaging: informed by a customized racial equity analysis tool – using different words à shaping public messaging
• Supporting advocates to engage local funders, in coalition, diversifying funding for coalition building, etc.
• National lens on local and specific funding à dedicated hire(s) to track
• Leverage our relationships
• Messengers – Engaging a variety of business and other champions
• Rural community policy and implementation (cross state)

Possible Collaborations

• Series or theme of highlighting “failures” (including defensive wins), celebrating and learning from them; infuse trainings, etc. including next effort on the same issue
• Each state sets the agenda for meetings on a monthly basis – NCIT facilitates (virtually) – each meeting focuses on a different aspect of a policy or campaign
• National convenor shares notes, feedback and linkages between state meetings, link Give & Gets proactively
• No strings attached, rotating facilitation (co-facilitation); no slides allowed
• Cross state convening – State/National and legislators building relationships

Power Sharing Marketplace Section

National Partners self-selected into a Power Prism category that aligned with the resources offered by their organization to form a table with other National Partners. Each table listed what to “Ask Us About” as a conversation starter, while State Advocates were encouraged to go wherever they were interested in learning more and to ask as many questions as possible. States largely drove the conversations while Partners listened and answered questions through 4 rounds of dialogue.

Overall Learnings

• We have more in common than we have differences. We all have the same goal, but we are just doing it in different ways. Wonderful to hear how people are overcoming obstacles. Hope to stay connected.
• A lot of us have contested messaging in the states, how can states talk to each other about the learnings they have gathered in their trial and error of messaging. I.e. – use of workforce laws, or global assets training to pass immigration legislation – cross pollination and analysis of messaging across states
• Heard a lot about successes / what works. But we can learn so much from failures, and it’s really helpful to hear what was tried and didn’t work. I.e. the bills that get killed – so much to learn from those
• We’re all doing offense and defense at the same time – and they require a lot of capacity.
• Funders at the national level, often competing, a lot of similarities but we also differ greatly in our strengths. Difficult when funders are limiting their scope across geographies or gaps.
• These people (policy in hard states) are MY people. And this work is intergenerational, people have come before you and will continue after and we have to be careful of the burnout.

The Give and The Get Section

Throughout the event a “Give and Get” asset mapping activity was continuously populated by participants in the room based on their conventions about possible collaborations. Below are the resources shared and requested.

Definitions:
The Give: What can you and your organization do or contribute toward improving PN-3 advocacy?
The Get: What do you and your organization need or hope to get from NCIT partners (including other state advocates present) that will support PN-3 advocacy?

ICYMI or would like to re-watch

Meeting Notes

Centerline Liberties National Issues Survey – Maternal Health Polling Results – https://centerlineamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Centerline-Liberties-National-Issues-Survey-Maternal-Health-Memo.pdf