“It’s exciting to see that we’re doing the work that we set out to do two years ago.” — UPLAN Parent Leader Bianca Scott
UPLAN officially launched as a national network in December of 2016. Bianca Scott, a Parent Ambassador from Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP (WSA) and member of UPLAN, shares her thoughts and reflections on UPLAN’s 2nd birthday:
UPLAN is growing in great ways. Our UPLAN family is growing in size! From the initial meeting in Alexandria, VA to where we are now, UPLAN has grown tremendously. When we officially launched on December 5, 2016, there were 7 member groups. Now, UPLAN has 31 member organizations! More parents are involved with UPLAN committees and engaged on specific policy calls-to-action. Our gatherings have grown in size and energy too. Our in-person time together is valuable and always feels like a big family reunion! Our gatherings are energy boosters. The time together reminds us of the important reasons behind our collective work. When we’re all together, we remember, “this is what I’m here for, this is why I’m here doing this work.”
I’m most proud that our UPLAN family has a clear direction in our policy work. Our specific policy focuses are 1) increasing access and affordability of quality early care and education, 2) protecting immigrant families, and 3) strengthening ‘real’ parent engagement in early childhood through 12th grade education. I know we’re impacting these areas because the campaigns and calls-to-action parents are involved in directly reflect these areas. I’m thankful for UPLAN’s federal policy work because now my member group, WSA, has local, state, and federal policy actions for our Parent Ambassadors to learn and engage on.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for what we will accomplish together. We’re already bringing parents to the table with funders, national partners, policymakers, and places where parents weren’t always welcome. I am eager to see more fathers engaged with UPLAN, because as parents, we need to be at these tables where decisions are made that directly impact us and our families. We’re part of a movement, and we’re just getting started!
