Introduction

The stakes of the upcoming election are high for parents, infants, toddlers, and families across the country. Prenatal to three issues – from child care, to paid leave, to maternal health, to head start, and more – are at an inflection point. As advocates, we must stand together to ensure every child has the strong start in life they deserve, starting where the needs are greatest and with those communities most impacted by historic disinvestment and structural racism. Because if policymakers don’t collectively take action to address the lack of investment in these issues, young children and families will suffer, which is why we have to get it right.

In an election year, getting it right means mobilizing your members and those impacted by the policies we seek to change to engage candidates on prenatal to three issues so they know it’s a priority for their constituents. It means asking candidates questions that get them thinking about the policy solutions they need to enact once they’re in office. Ultimately, it means making prenatal to three issues a priority for candidates and voters.

There will be 39 gubernatorial elections in 2026. More than 6,1202 legislative seats are up for election in 2026, representing 82% of the nation’s 7,386 legislative seats. All 435 districts in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. To make the most of these opportunities, nonprofit organizations, coalitions, and individual advocates seeking to elevate the importance of public sector support for these issues need to be sharp, persistent, and unified in their efforts to engage with candidates for public office.

This guide provides tools and resources to navigate this election cycle as an advocate for expectant parents, infants, toddlers and their families. It offers insight into how to talk about the most crucial issues facing families today, including child care, maternal and child health, early Head Start, paid family and medical leave, and economic security. It also offers expert insight into how to best engage with elected officials across media for advocates and organizations of all types and levels of expertise. Please connect with us here to offer feedback on this guide and start a conversation about anything else you’ll need to secure the victories that families everywhere are counting on.

In this toolkit you will find (click on a topic to review the specific section):

• Overview: Engaging With Public Officials
• Best Practices For Engaging With Candidates
• How To Write Questions For Candidates
• Best Practices For Effective Communication Strategies And Issue Promotion
• Talking Points And Questions To Engage Candidates In PN-3 Conversations
  • High-Quality, Affordable Child Care
  • Maternal And Child Health
  • Early Head Start
  • Paid Family And Medical Leave
  • Economic Security
• Additional Resources
  • Engaging With Public Officials
  • Permissible Issue Advocacy V. Prohibited Campaign Intervention
  • IRS Rules For 501(C)(3) Organizations

Moms Rising Education Fund

MomsVote / LatinasVotan

From registering people to vote, to pledging to vote, to making plans to vote, to hosting debate watch parties, to educating the candidates about our top policy priorities, to sharing our personal stories with each other and the media, to having voting parties, MomsVote creatively engages women and moms to wield one of our most powerful tools in this democracy–our right to vote. MomsVote | MomsRising

League of Women Voters

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. Home | League of Women Voters (lwv.org)

Zero to Three

Think Babies™ Babies can’t vote, but you can.  The Think Babies Election Toolkit will help you prepare to vote and raise awareness about the issues that impact infants, toddlers, families, and early childhood professionals. Be a Big Voice for Little Kids™ this election season! Here is the 2024 toolkit but we will update when the 2026 is released Think Babies in the 2024 Election | Think Babies™