Sample Email to Congress

 

The State of Babies Yearbook: 2023 is a blueprint for enacting the comprehensive policy solutions that babies and their families need to thrive. It identifies five imperative areas where urgent action is needed at the federal level: maternal health, infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), child care, housing, and economic security. Share the State of Babies Yearbook: 2023 with members of Congress and encourage them to learn more about how their state measures up on 90 indicators essential to ensuring babies have what they need to thrive. 


Subject: New Resource on Infants and Toddler Outcomes 

Email copy:

Dear [REPRESENTATIVE/SENATOR],  

The state where a baby is born and spends their first years makes a big difference in their chance for a strong start in life. As your constituent, I want to share a new resource containing over 90 indicators on babies in our state and in other states around the country and urge you to Think Babies and invest in our future.  

ZERO TO THREE’s State of Babies Yearbook: 2023 is a blueprint for the transformation needed to put our country back on the path towards a comprehensive baby agenda. The 2023 findings show that poverty and disparities in access to resources along racial and ethnic lines continue to be defining features of a baby’s experience. Two million infants and toddlers live in poverty, and poverty and low income remain the most striking demographic of babies in the United States. It is long past time to advance a sustained, bold baby agenda for the country.   

The need to make the potential of every baby our national priority has never been more urgent. A baby’s brain develops faster between ages 0 to 3 than at any later point in life, forming more than one million new neural connections every second. Every baby deserves an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. Where a baby is born, the color of their skin, or family income should not be a factor in their chances for a strong start in life.  

That’s why I’m calling on you and your colleagues in Congress to enact policies that build systems that will comprehensively meet babies’ needs beyond the temporary supports enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic and build stronger systems for the future. Specifically, I’m asking you to support policies related to:  

  • Maternal Health 
  • Infant and early childhood mental health 
  • Child Care 
  • Housing 
  • Economic Security 

I hope that you will find the State of Babies Yearbook: 2023 (stateofbabies.org) a helpful resource as you shape policies that will impact our state’s babies, families, and future. 

Sincerely,   

[SIGNATURE] 

Not Ranked
This indicator does not factor into the category's GROW ranking.