Please note that these examples are intended as templates or guides for you to adapt to your preferred messaging and your state’s context. They are not to be copied verbatim, as submitting identical pieces can be considered plagiarism and may harm relationships with editors if they see the same content published elsewhere. Use these materials as inspiration and do not hesitate to reach out to the NCIT Technical Assistance portal for support drafting.
TEMPLATE: LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sample Issue: Paid Family and Medical Leave or Early Childhood Education
Suggested word count: 100 – 200 words
Submission subject line: LTE Submission: Supporting families and young children in our community
To The Editor,
The earliest years of a child’s life shape everything that follows — yet too many families are forced to navigate this critical time without the support they need.
In our community, parents are balancing work, caregiving, and rising costs while trying to give their babies and toddlers the strongest possible start. Policies such as paid family and medical leave (PFML) and access to high-quality early childhood education can make a real difference, allowing parents to care for a new child or address family needs without sacrificing financial stability, and ensuring young children have safe, nurturing environments where they can grow and learn.
When families are supported, children thrive, businesses benefit from a stable workforce, and communities grow stronger.
As candidates across the state define their agendas, supporting infants, toddlers, and families should be central to the conversation — because giving every child a strong start and every family a fair chance benefits us all.
[Name] [Title or background that brings you to this issue, such as “parent of two young children”] [City]
TEMPLATE: OP-ED
Suggested length: 650 – 800 words
Submission subject line: Op-Ed Submission: Strong Beginnings for Children Start with Supporting Families
- Here are some ways to strengthen your op-ed submission:
- Add a brief personal or local example
- Reference a current policy conversation or community moment
- Connect the issue to shared values like stability, opportunity, and strong communities
- Keep the tone constructive and solutions-oriented
The first years of life shape everything that follows. In those early months and years, children build the foundations for learning, relationships, and health — foundations that last a lifetime.
But for many families across our state, those early years are defined not just by joy, but by strain. Parents are piecing together child care arrangements that fall through at the last minute. They are returning to work before they are ready because they cannot afford not to. They are doing everything they can, often within systems that were not built with young families in mind.
Policies such as paid family and medical leave (PFML) and access to high-quality early childhood education are not abstract ideas. They determine whether a parent can recover from childbirth without risking their job. They shape whether a toddler has a safe, nurturing place to learn while a caregiver works. They influence whether families experience stability or constant pressure.
PFML gives families time — time to bond, to heal, to adjust — without sacrificing economic security. High-quality early childhood education supports healthy development while strengthening our workforce and local economy.
These are not niche concerns. They are foundational investments in our state’s future. When children are supported early, they are more likely to succeed in school and beyond. When parents have stability, employers benefit. When families thrive, communities grow stronger.
We all want children to grow up healthy, supported, and ready to reach their potential. If that’s true — and I believe it is — then the policies that shape the earliest years should be central to this election, not peripheral to it.
As we consider [STATE]’s future, I want all candidates to clearly articulate how they will strengthen support for infants, toddlers, and the families who care for them. The next governor will shape the systems families rely on every day. Voters deserve clarity on where candidates stand.
Include a 1 – 2 sentence biography of the author at the end of your submission. [NAME] is a [POSITION] at [PLACE] and lives in [CITY].
