San Francisco Early Care and Education Community Convenes Policy and Advocacy Retreat

By Alan Wong, Senior Director of Public Policy Communication

This month, Children’s Council of San Francisco, Parent Voices SF and the San Francisco Early Care and Education (ECE) Advocacy Coalition hosted our third annual Policy and Advocacy Retreat at City College of San Francisco. Our partners in the Coalition also included San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council, Low Income Investment Fund, Early Care Educators of San Francisco and Family Child Care Association of San Francisco.

This gathering provided an opportunity to reflect on past achievements, gain valuable insights into the state of ECE and the San Francisco Early Care and Education Advocacy Coalition hosted our third annual Policy and Advocacy Retreat. This gathering provided an opportunity to reflect on past achievements, gain valuable insights into the state of ECE and subject matter experts came together to collaborate and strategize.

Key Sessions and Discussions

The retreat featured a Policy 101 session, where Karina Laigo from the Child Care Law Center and Frances Hsieh, Legislative Aide at the Board of Supervisors, explained the complexities of state and local legislative and budget processes. Attendees also heard from State of ECE’s panelists, including Ingrid Mezquita, Director of the Department of Early Childhood, and Sherrice Dorsey-Smith, Acting Director of the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF), who shared their vision for the future of early care and education.

Breakout Sessions

Participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge through a series of breakout sessions:

• Advocacy Training – Led by Elizabeth Winograd from the Low Income Investment Fund and Children’s Council Public Policy Intern Sierra Fischer, this session equipped attendees with essential tools for effective advocacy.

• Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) 101 – Presented by Tandem Executive Director Savitha Moorthy and Children’s Council Chief Advancement Officer Amie Latterman, this session provided the latest updates on UPK policies at both state and local levels.

• Election Debrief: What It Means for Child Care – Mary Ignatius of Parent Voices California and Margaret Brodkin, former Director of DCYF and Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, analyzed the post-election political and policy landscape for ECE.

Closing and Looking Ahead

The retreat concluded with an Interactive Data and Issues Walk led by Sara Hicks-Kilday, Director of Early Care Educators of San Francisco, followed by closing remarks from Barbara Coccodrilli Carlson, the new Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Council of San Francisco.

As we face upcoming budget challenges, this retreat reinforced our momentum and unity, ensuring that the ECE community remains strong, informed, and prepared for the advocacy work ahead.