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What is Advocacy?
Advocacy involves speaking up, connecting with community, and building relationships with elected leaders to make policy changes. Both individuals and nonprofits can contact and engage directly with their elected officials to advocate for the issues they care about, including emailing, calling, or meeting with elected officials and speaking during public hearings. For Advocacy 101, check out this Advocacy Toolkit from our partners at NC Child.
Our Advocacy Engagement: WNC ECC Fiscal Sponsorship
The Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition (WNC ECC)
CF/CIS is the proud fiscal sponsor of the Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition (WNC ECC)—a coalition of early childhood-focused organizations, child care teachers, parents of young children, and advocates collaborating to advance local and state policies to improve access to and quality of early childhood care and education programming in WNC. With a footprint of 18 western NC counties, the coalition provides a space for learning together—ensuring that advocacy efforts are grounded in the experience and expertise of local providers and that local providers, parents and caregivers are given information, tools, and access to advocacy opportunities to influence regional and statewide policy discussions.
CF/CIS’s History of Support for Early Childhood Education Advocacy
CF/CIS was a founding member of the WNC ECC when it began in 2015 under the leadership of Southwestern Child Development Commission. WNC ECC moved under our leadership in 2018 and subsequently operated as a CF/CIS program until 2023. In 2024, we became a fiscal sponsor for WNC ECC, opening up space for its continued growth, elevated impact and identity independence, while still providing fiduciary oversight, financial management and other administrative services to help sustain the coalition’s capacity.
Our fiscal sponsorship of WNC ECC is in alignment with our long history of support for early childhood education advocacy. We provide the foundation for WNC ECC to expand its reach and influence in the west and across the state. The evolution of this collaboration is a response to the need for childcare access and affordability in our western communities, and we are unwavering in our commitment to meeting that goal.