Knowledge is Power! That’s the name of Parent Voices’ annual training for parent activists, coming up soon this year (see Knowledge is Power! below). It’s “a place where parents who know nothing about the (state) budget process can learn,” says Annelise Loe, who attended for the first time last year.

With skills from last year’s training, Loe says, “parents voiced their concerns” in the successful campaign to raise the income ceiling for child care subsidies. “It was really wonderful to see how powerful our voices are!”

Loe, mother to seven-year-old Aponi, became involved with Parent Voices four years ago. “I was going to school to finish my degree,” she says, “when I found out that I was in jeopardy of losing my child care subsidies” because of state budget cuts. “We went to San Francisco with our children to protest.”

Knowledge is Power includes:

Training on state budget and legislation: “The trainings give (parents) knowledge on what’s going on,” says Leah Deas, another Knowledge is Power participant. “You would be amazed to see how many parents come!”

Role-playing: In one of the sessions, Loe recalls, “I was able to role-play how, if I was to (lose) the child care subsidies, it would be a fine line from me being homeless. I just voiced how I would not have my child cared for, and how scary that would be. For me to voice that was very powerful.”

Meeting with politicians: “We go inside and speak to the legislators,” says Deas. “We show them books with pictures of our children and tell them our stories.”

Experiencing results: “I’m not a very good talker,” says Deas, but after the training, “talking to people and telling my story became much easier.”

“The experience changed me,” she adds, “with the knowledge they taught us and also helped me to see how I’m not the only one in this position.”

“You really learn about the power of testifying (when) you actually go to a hearing and tell your story in front of legislators,” Loe says. “It helps you translate that training into practice and makes you feel like you can make a difference.”

Knowledge is Power!

Parent Voices annual advocacy training

What: Interactive learning about the state budget and legislative process to support parents in developing ideas and skills for advocacy
When: Late January—early February
Where: Oakland, Southern California, Fresno, and Sacramento
For info: Call Parent Voices statewide office, 415-882-0234

Parent Voices contacts:

Statewide: Mary Ignatius, 415-882-0234. mignatius@rrnetwork.org 
Alameda (Hayward): Jennifer Greppi, 510-584-3115, jenniferf@4c-alameda.org
Alameda (Oakland): Janet Zamudio, 510-658-7353, janet@bananasinc.org
Amador: Brenda Bullington, 209-223-1624, ext. 109, Brenda@hrcccr.org
Butte: Jane Haberman, 530-895-1677, jhaberman@valleyoakchildren.org
Calaveras: Cheryl Berg, 209-754-1075, ext. 115, cberg@hrcccr.org Contra Costa: Candy Duperroir, 925-778-4739, candy@cocokids.org 
El Dorado: Heather Della Ripa, 530-541-5848, hscfcslt@pacbell.net Fresno: Lourdes Hernandez, 559-456-1100, louh@cvcsn.org
Los Ángeles: Christine Giron, 323-421-2602, cgiron@crystalstairs.org Marin: Leah Benz, 415-491-5776, leah@mc3.org
Sacramento: Rachel Minnick, 916-369-3387, Rachel.Minnick@childaction.org
San Francisco: Maria Luz Torre, 415-343-3383, parentvoices@childrenscouncil.org
San Mateo: Nelly Puhachevsky, 650-655-6770, ext. 283, nelly@sanmateo4cs.org
Santa Barbara: contact statewide organizers
Santa Clara: Mario Del Castillo, 408-487-0747, mariod@4c.org
Solano: Kathy Lago, 707-864-4620,
klago@solanosfcs.org
Sonoma: Lorie Siebler, 707-522-1413, lsiebler@sonoma4cs.org