“A powerful feeling”

Tina Fleeton has been active in Parent Voices from the beginning—she joined the Oakland chapter in ’96, when she was receiving subsidized child care for her son, now 12.

Of the many Parent Voices events she’s attended—Stand for Children Day, budget hearings, public speak-outs where parents talk to politicians—she enjoys Stand for Children marches most. “We’re really, really loud,” she says. “Everybody’s involved, cars are honking. It’s a powerful feeling, like your voice is being heard.”

In the beginning, speaking to legislators was “intimidating,” she says. “You have one to two minutes to present your case in a powerful way. But (speaking out) gets easier and easier.”

Being involved in Parent Voices “is easy,” she says. “You get to bring your children to meetings, there’s always (food). It’s like a second family.” Fleeton now works at Bananas resource and referral agency, a decision she credits to her Parent Voices involvement.

“A little more confident”

Mitchell White got involved recently in Chico’s Parent Voices chapter because, without child care for his 20-month-old son, “I wouldn’t be able to attend school. I wouldn’t have a 4.0.” He even rescheduled an exam to be at the recent Stand for Children Day rally, where he “spoke from the heart,” he says, while other Chico parents cheered him on.

“(Now) I feel a little more confident,” he says. “(And) Parent Voices made me think about people other than myself.”

In the past 10 years, Parent Voices…

1996: Was founded at five resource and referral agencies

1997: Helped shape one of the best state child care policies under welfare reform

1998: Trained parents on public speaking, the state budget, and child care policy

1999: Sponsored legislation that would have required the state to match employer contributions for employees’ child care

2000: Began an asthma awareness campaign in SF

2001-2005: Prevented budget cuts to Stage 3 child care subsidies (for families off welfare for two years or more). In 2003, Parent Voices letters and rallies, plus budget hearings packed with parents, made the difference. In 2006, no cuts were proposed.

2001: Held an accountability session with legislators

2002: Expanded across the state

2003: Launched child care campaigns that help parents go to work and college

2004: Engaged in media advocacy 

2006: Began a “defrost the SMI” campaign to raise eligibility guidelines for child care subsidies to keep up with inflation.