The Brief

As a parent, for me, one of the most continuously mind-boggling aspects of raising young children is how expensive child care is. When I learned that child care providers barely make enough to make ends meet, it kind of made my brain break. It was enough to make me want to yell, “But, WHY?”

You may feel the same way about this. Or there may be another aspect about how our society is set up for raising kids that confuses you or makes you want to lay flat on the floor. There are a lot of things you don’t know you don’t know until you have children or start working with them.

So what can you do to make things better for families with kids under 5?

This guide is for people who want to channel that yelling-into-a-pillow energy into doing something to fix things year-round, particularly by sharing your story or learning to navigate power to change policy — that’s advocacy. We’ve talked with LOTS of people who have made a difference — parents, early childhood advocates, and policymakers. Now we’re sharing back some of the basic first steps you can take if you’re interested in changing local or statewide laws.

Maria Antoinetta Jandres, left, at Stand for Children Day on May 8, 2024.

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Courtesy Parent Voices

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Does my voice even matter?

Yes.

Parents we spoke to talked about a whole range of benefits that they gained from becoming their child’s first advocate. They came away with insider knowledge about issues facing their kids, they built community, and they felt like they were part of something bigger. And, importantly, many shared how joining forces with others helped them achieve things they thought were not possible.

“You do it because it works,” said Mary Ignatius, director of Parent Voices. “Most policy change happens because somebody spoke up about it.”

Parent Maria Antoinetta Jandres still remembers one of the first times she shared her story in front of the San Francisco mayor and Board of Supervisors. “I was super nervous. I didn’t even know what to do or what to say,” she said.

Now, after working to make multiple early childhood policy changes through statewide advocacy organization Parent Voices, she feels a different level of confidence.

“The supervisors need to listen to us,” she said. “Because we are the ones paying for their salary. Now when I go there, I’m like, well, this is what you guys should be working on because you work for us. It’s not the other way around.”

Jandres stumbled upon Parent Voices during a time where she was looking for child care for her young son while experiencing homelessness. She went to the organization looking for a child care spot, but through getting involved, she came out with deep knowledge about the inner workings of the early childhood system and, essentially, a master’s degree in how change works.

She was part of a San Francisco campaign that created a tax to fund child care for middle-class (and upper-middle-class) families and set a minimum wage of $28 for early education teachers. In 2023, she was also part of a campaign that eliminated monthly payments (“family fees”) for low-income families who receive child care subsidies.

Parent Iesha Foster in Sacramento to advocate for expanding child care funding in the 2024 budget.

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Isaac Cox

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Crystal Stairs

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What do parents bring to the table?

Justin Blakely, who leads L.A. County advocacy program Community Voices, part of Crystal Stairs, remembers vividly how one legislator shared that every day he has 15 to 20 meetings, mostly with professional lobbyists or advocates.

He said that’s why when a representative hears from a community member, particularly one who lives in his district, it makes a difference. Hearing a community member’s experience illustrates the real impact of policies out in the world. They put a name and a face to an issue, moving an issue beyond just another data point.

Parent Iesha Foster, parent of nine, first connected with Head Start’s Policy Council and eventually, Community Voices, when her older children were small. A lack of child care had caused her to turn down extra hours at work, and eventually lose her job. The experience made her want to fight for child care, she said.

“Without childcare, you can't go to work,” she said. “Without work, you can't pay your rent, you can't pay your bills.”

Foster traveled with Blakely to Sacramento in 2023 with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to advocate for child care. During a meeting with Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D), chair of the Assembly Education Committee, she told her personal story and shared how hard it is for parents to go to work without child care.

Others in the room had also shared their concerns, but Blakely said that when Foster spoke, her story captivated the full attention of everyone in the room. Muratsuchi kept referring back to her throughout the meeting.

“He just was so passionate in his voice and in his words,” Foster said. “He really listened. And you could tell that he really cared.”

Parent Voices director Ignatius said to remember that you don’t need to speak a particular language or have a degree in anything to make your opinions and experience known.

“Trust that you know what you know and that you have expertise and experiences to offer,” she said. “Being a parent qualifies you for so much.”

A voter places his ballot in a mail-in ballot drop box outside of an L.A. library ahead of Election Day in October 2020.

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Mario Tama

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An official ballot envelope for the 2024 primary election in Los Angeles.

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Brianna Lee

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Small ways to make change, beyond voting.

There are many ways to get involved. The first that comes to mind is voting, which helps make sure your representatives actually represent you and that you have a say in which ballot initiatives go into effect. (In fact, LAist has a whole guide about this.)

Patrick MacFarlane, government relations manager of Child Care Resource Center said that one thing that’s important to keep in mind is this: “Voting is a small part of civic participation. You have to be mobilized in every season, not just in election season.”

Here are just a few ways to do that, year-round:

• Get involved in your child’s school.
• Volunteer for an organization you care about.
• Donate to the cause of your choice. 
• Plaster your street with campaign signs. 
• Start a boycott. 
• Make political art. 
• Start your own organization.

The list goes on.

And of course, parents can become advocates, sharing their stories and informing the process of creating and passing laws in California. Let’s dive in.

Find your people

Start with a quick Google search of what you care about.

It’s an easy way to find out if anyone has proposed or advocated for a bill related to this issue.

“You're almost certain to find a group of people who feel really passionately about that issue,” said Sarah Diaz, policy and media coordinator with the California WIC Association. “They’ve spent a lot of energy on it already and maybe they’re reintroducing it or bringing it back again.”

From there, you can reach out to either the legislators who proposed the bill or the community groups (often listed as co-sponsors on a bill) working on the issue.

This is exactly what Diaz did. One issue she cares about as a parent is schools getting funding. She didn’t think it made sense to link school attendance to funding. In her mind, this creates an incentive for sick kids to go to school instead of staying at home to recover.

In her personal time, she reached out to her representative to ask if they were working on this issue. That’s how she found that there was a bill up for consideration about the issue last year and submitted comments and letters. The bill is currently headed for a floor vote and will likely head to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk for a signature.

Parent Maria Antoinetta Jandres speaks into a mic to give public testimony.

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Courtesy Parent Voices

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Find your representatives. And talk to them.

It may at first seem strange to talk to your elected officials, but as Jandres pointed out, they do work for YOU. As your representative, it’s literally their job to listen to you.

First, find your local representatives on Shape your L.A., a tool by the L.A. Times.

Some ways to get your representative’s attention:

1. Tag them on social media.
2. Email or write them letters. When writing, be brief and clear. If you live in their district, tell them. Here are some tips and a template from First 5 Contra Costa County. 
3. Call them. Calling is a great option because the person has to listen. They can’t skim over your words like they might be able to with something written. Here’s a draft script from Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, which also includes instructions if you’re using a text-to-speech device.
4. Visit them. If they are a state representative, find them at their Sacramento office or at their field office, close to where you live. (Tip: Summer is a great time to visit state representatives at their field offices, during the legislative recess.) You can walk into their office or call in advance to set up a meeting.
5. Find them at public meetings.
6. Contact your local media outlet. Your local representative probably reads the news. Read, watch, and listen to what journalists in your area are saying about the issues you care about. Reach out — perhaps to your friendly public media station — to share ideas you think they should cover. Here’s a cheat sheet for how to talk to a journalist.

Ignatius said that having a conversation with an elected official through social media is an easy way to start and it can be effective. Elected officials are often active through social channels, or have staffers monitoring them.

“They will flag it for their member and say, ‘Hey, you know, I just saw this thing. This sounds super compelling,’” she said.

Even better: go up and talk to them. 

Patrick MacFarlane, government relations manager of Child Care Resource Center said: “I would go up to my assembly member and say, ‘This is what I'm interested in. Where do you stand on this issue?’”

He added that it helps to share solutions when you share your story. Oftentimes, they may be familiar with the problem, but don’t know how to fix it.

Don’t be bummed if you can only meet with your representative’s staff members. Talking with staffers can often be just as productive as talking directly with your representative, many of the experts we spoke to said. After all, they are the ones who are advising the representative and helping them prioritize issues.

What changes have people already made in early childhood policy?

It can be helpful to understand what issues people have already worked on to figure out what’s possible and where you want to make an impact.

Some big things that have changed in early childhood over the past few years, including:

• Low-income families no longer have to pay out-of-pocket “family fees” for subsidized child care.
• California workers now have more sick leave (five days).
• California’s family leave program expanded so people receive a higher % of their paycheck.
• Medi-Cal now pays for doulas.
• Hospitals and maternal care facilities must undergo anti-bias training.
• California expanded transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds. 
• Child care providers unionized.

Many issues continue to affect families with young children, and people are actively working on changing them:

• High cost of child care 
• Lack of subsidized child care slots
• Child care providers — mostly women of color — not getting paid enough
• Poor birth outcomes for Black moms and babies
• Preschool segregation
• Lack of early screening for developmental delays

This list is just the beginning. Do a quick search on the issue you care about to help you find the people working on it. If no one is working on it, it’s still not impossible; it just hasn’t been done yet.

Medi-Cal now covers doulas due to the advocacy of birthworkers and parents across the state. Doula and Birthworkers of Color Collective member Andrea Howard serves Medi-Cal clients.

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Brian Feinzimer

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California child care providers were able to unionize in 2019 after a years-long campaign of parents and child care providers sharing their stories. Waverly Stone, right, is a family child care provider in Rialto. Shanae Pharaoh, left, sends her two children to Stone's childcare.

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Elly Yu

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Be persistent. Enjoy the ride.

Working on changing local and statewide policies takes time. It’s important to buckle up for the long haul, and to be persistent.

When things do start to change, it can be really satisfying.

Parent Iesha Foster said what keeps her motivated to continue the work is being able to share what she has learned with others. She said that she often finds herself giving advice, resources, and information to other parents and even teachers. By getting involved, she’s been able to become the resource for other parents that she wishes she had early on.

“I like to be the voice for the ones who don't know about it,” Foster said. “I can actually help someone that didn't know, so they can have a better understanding.”

This guide was informed by the Hey bb review committee: September Hill, nonprofit advocacy consultant and Ofelia Carrillo, former communications specialist at SEIU-Local 99 / Child Care Providers United.

The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability and death.

Just three of the six immunizations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer routinely recommend — against hepatitis A, hepatitis B and rotavirus — have prevented nearly 2 million hospitalizations and more than 90,000 deaths in the past 30 years, according to the CDC's own publications.

Vaccines against the three diseases, as well as those against respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, and COVID, are now recommended only for children at high risk of serious illness or after "shared clinical decision-making," or consultation between doctors and parents.

The CDC maintained its recommendations for 11 childhood vaccines: measles, mumps, and rubella; whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria; the bacterial disease known as Hib; pneumonia; polio; chickenpox; and human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Federal and private insurance will still cover vaccines for the diseases the CDC no longer recommends universally, according to a Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet; parents who want to vaccinate their children against those diseases will not have to pay out-of-pocket.

Experts on childhood disease were baffled by the change in guidance. HHS said the changes followed "a scientific review of the underlying science" and were in line with vaccination programs in other developed nations.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist, pointed to Denmark as a model. But the schedules of most European countries are closer to the U.S. standard upended by the new guidance.

For example, Denmark, which does not vaccinate against rotavirus, registers around 1,200 infant and toddler rotavirus hospitalizations a year. That rate, in a country of 6 million, is about the same as it was in the United States before vaccination.

"They're OK with having 1,200 or 1,300 hospitalized kids, which is the tip of the iceberg in terms of childhood suffering," said Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a co-inventor of a licensed rotavirus vaccine. "We weren't. They should be trying to emulate us, not the other way around."

Public health officials say the new guidance puts the onus on parents to research and understand each childhood vaccine and why it is important.

Here's a rundown of the diseases the sidelined vaccines prevent:

RSV. Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of hospitalization for infants in the U.S.

The respiratory virus usually spreads in fall and winter and produces cold-like symptoms, though it can be deadly for young children, causing tens of thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths a year. According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, roughly 80% of children younger than 2 who are hospitalized with RSV have no identifiable risk factors. Long-awaited vaccines against the disease were introduced in 2023.

Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A vaccination, which was phased in beginning in the late 1990s and recommended for all toddlers starting in 2006, has led to a more than 90% drop in the disease since 1996. The foodborne virus, which causes a wretched illness, continues to plague adults, particularly people who are homeless or who abuse drugs or alcohol, with a total of 1,648 cases and 85 deaths reported in 2023.

Hepatitis B. The disease causes liver cancer, cirrhosis, and other serious illnesses and is particularly dangerous when contracted by babies and young children. The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids, even in microscopic amounts, and can survive on surfaces for a week. From 1990 to 2019, vaccination resulted in a 99% decline in reported cases of acute hepatitis B among children and teens. Liver cancer among American children has also plummeted as a result of universal childhood vaccination. But the hepatitis B virus is still around, with 2,000-3,000 acute cases reported annually among unvaccinated adults. More than 17,000 chronic hepatitis B diagnoses were reported in 2023. The CDC estimates about half of people infected don't know they have it.

Rotavirus. Before routine administration of the current rotavirus vaccines began in 2006, about 70,000 young children were hospitalized and 50 died every year from the virus. It was known as "winter vomiting syndrome," said Sean O'Leary, a pediatrician at the University of Colorado. "It was a miserable disease that we hardly see anymore."

The virus is still common on surfaces that babies touch, however, and "if you lower immunization rates it will once again hospitalize children," Offit said.

Meningococcal vaccines. These have been required mainly for teenagers and college students, who are notably vulnerable to critical illness caused by the bacteria. About 600 to 1,000 cases of meningococcal disease are reported in the U.S. each year, but it kills more than 10% of those it sickens, and 1 in 5 survivors have permanent disabilities.

Flu and covid. The two respiratory viruses have each killed hundreds of children in recent years — though both tend to be much more severe in older adults. Flu is currently on the upswing in the United States, and last flu season the virus killed 289 children.

What is shared clinical decision-making?

Under the changes, decisions about vaccinating children against influenza, covid, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A and B will now rely on what officials call "shared clinical decision-making," meaning families will have to consult with a health care provider to determine whether a vaccine is appropriate.

"It means a provider should have a conversation with the patient to lay out the risks and the benefits and make a decision for that individual person," said Lori Handy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

In the past, the CDC used that term only in reference to narrow circumstances, like whether a person in a monogamous relationship needed the HPV vaccine, which prevents a sexually transmitted infection and certain cancers.

The CDC's new approach doesn't line up with the science because of the proven protective benefit the vaccines have for the vast majority of the population, Handy said.

In their report justifying the changes, HHS officials Tracy Beth Høeg and Martin Kulldorff said the U.S. vaccination system requires more safety research and more parental choice. Eroding trust in public health caused in part by an overly large vaccine schedule had led more parents to shun vaccination against major threats like measles, they said.

The vaccines on the schedule that the CDC has altered were backed up by extensive safety research when they were evaluated and approved by the FDA.

"They're held to a safety standard higher than any other medical intervention that we have," Handy said. "The value of routine recommendations is that it really helps the public understand that this has been vetted upside down and backwards in every which way."

Eric Ball, a pediatrician in Orange County, Calif., said the change in guidance will cause more confusion among parents who think it means a vaccine's safety is in question.

"It is critical for public health that recommendations for vaccines are very clear and concise," Ball said. "Anything to muddy the water is just going to lead to more children getting sick."

Ball said that instead of focusing on a child's individual health needs, he often has to spend limited clinic time reassuring parents that vaccines are safe. A "shared clinical decision-making" status for a vaccine has no relationship to safety concerns, but parents may think it does.

HHS' changes do not affect state vaccination laws and therefore should allow prudent medical practitioners to carry on as before, said Richard Hughes IV, an attorney and a George Washington University lecturer who is leading litigation against Kennedy over vaccine changes.

"You could expect that any pediatrician is going to follow sound evidence and recommend that their patients be vaccinated," he said. The law protects providers who follow professional care guidelines, he said, and "RSV, meningococcal, and hepatitis remain serious health threats for children in this country."

This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with KFF Health News, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. KFF Health News is one of the core operating programs at KFF, the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

The National Park Service has updated its policy to discourage visitors from defacing a picture of President Donald Trump on this year's pass.

The use of an image of Trump on the 2026 pass — rather than the usual picture of nature — has sparked a backlash, sticker protests, and a lawsuit from a conservation group.

The $80 annual America the Beautiful pass gives visitors access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Since 2004, the pass has typically showcased sweeping landscapes or iconic wildlife, selected through a public photo contest. Past winners have featured places like Arches National Park in Utah and images of bison roaming the plains.

Instead, of a picture of nature, this year's design shows side-by-side portraits of Presidents George Washington and Trump. The new design has drawn criticism from parkgoers and ignited a wave of "do-it-yourself" resistance.

Photos circulating online show that many national park cardholders have covered the image of Trump's face with stickers of wildlife, landscapes, and yellow smiley faces, while some have completely blocked out the whole card. The backlash has also inspired a growing sticker campaign.

Jenny McCarty, a longtime park volunteer and graphic designer, began selling custom stickers meant to fit directly over Trump's face — with 100% of proceeds going to conservation nonprofits.

"We made our first donation of $16,000 in December," McCarty said. "The power of community is incredible."

McCarty says the sticker movement is less about politics and more about preserving the neutrality of public lands. "The Interior's new guidance only shows they continue to disregard how strongly people feel about keeping politics out of national parks," she said.

The National Park Service card policy was updated this week to say that passes may no longer be valid if they've been "defaced or altered." The change, which was revealed in an internal email to National Park Service staff obtained by SFGATE, comes just as the sticker movement has gained traction across social media.

In a statement to NPR, the Interior Department said there was no new policy. Interagency passes have always been void if altered, as stated on the card itself. The agency said the recent update was meant to clarify that rule and help staff deal with confusion from visitors.

The Park Service has long said passes can be voided if the signature strip is altered, but the updated guidance now explicitly includes stickers or markings on the front of the card.

It will be left to the discretion of park service officials to determine whether a pass has been "defaced" or not. The update means park officials now have the leeway to reject a pass if a sticker leaves behind residue, even if the image underneath is intact.

In December, conservation group the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., opposing the new pass design.

The group argues that the image violates a federal requirement that the annual America the Beautiful pass display a winning photograph from a national parks photo contest. The 2026 winning image was a picture of Glacier National Park.

"This is part of a larger pattern of Trump branding government materials with his name and image," Kierán Suckling, the executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told NPR. "But this kind of cartoonish authoritarianism won't fly in the United States."

The lawsuit asks a federal court to pull the current pass design and replace it with the original contest winner — the Glacier National Park image. It also seeks to block the government from featuring a president's face on future passes.

Not everyone sees a problem with the new design. Vince Vanata, the GOP chairman of Park County, Wyoming, told the Cowboy State Daily that Trump detractors should "suck it up" and accept the park passes, saying they are a fitting tribute to America's 250th birthday this July 4.

"The 250th anniversary of our country only comes once. This pass is showing the first president of the United States and the current president of the United States," Vanata said.

But for many longtime visitors, the backlash goes beyond design.

Erin Quinn Gery, who buys an annual pass each year, compared the image to "a mug shot slapped onto natural beauty."

She also likened the decision to self-glorification.

"It's akin to throwing yourself a parade or putting yourself on currency," she said. "Let someone else tell you you're great — or worth celebrating and commemorating."

When asked if she plans to remove her protest sticker, Gery replied: "I'll take the sticker off my pass after Trump takes his name off the Kennedy Center."

The 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards take place Sunday evening beginning at 5 p.m. at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and that means parking restrictions and street closures in the city.

Here are places to avoid, as well as some alternative routes:

North Santa Monica Boulevard:

• Westbound lane closures: Complete lane closures, from Wilshire Boulevard to Century Park East through 6 a.m. Monday.
  
• Eastbound lane closures: Complete lane closures, from Century Park East to Wilshire Boulevard from 2 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Monday. 

The city suggests using South Santa Monica Boulevard, which will remain open in both directions. There also are alternative east-west routes such as Olympic, Sunset and Pico boulevards.

Wilshire Boulevard:

• Eastbound/Westbound lane reduction: Lane reductions are in effect and will last through 9 p.m. Wednesday.
  
• Eastbound/Westbound full closure: All of Wilshire Boulevard between Comstock Avenue and North Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from 10 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Monday.
  
• Eastbound lanes of Wilshire Boulevard: An eastbound closure from Comstock to North Santa Monica Boulevard will occur between 10 p.m. Monday through 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Other streets:

Several other streets like Whittier Drive, Carmelita Avenue, Elevado Avenue and Lomitas Avenue, as well as Trenton Drive and adjacent alleys will have limited closures with local access available only to residents. Closures begin at 10 p.m. Saturday and last through 6 a.m. Monday.

Parking notices:

Residential streets surrounding the venue will be completely restricted, no exceptions made, from 6 a.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday on the following streets:

• Whittier Drive — from Wilshire Boulevard to Elevado Avenue
• Carmelita Avenue — from Wilshire Boulevard to Walden Drive
• Elevado Avenue — from Wilshire Boulevard to Walden Drive
• Trenton Drive — from Whittier Drive to Wilshire Boulevard
• Walden Drive — from Santa Monica Boulevard to Elevado Avenue
• Lomitas Avenue — from Wilshire Boulevard to Walden Drive

Residents without permit parking can obtain parking exemptions by contacting the city of Beverly Hills’ parking exemption line at (310) 285-2548 or online at beverlyhills.org/parkingexemptions.

Demonstrations against this week’s deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis are planned this weekend across Los Angeles. The protests are being organized by the “ICE Out For Good Coalition” — a network of several groups including the ACLU and 50501.

Here are a some of the planned actions across the city:

Saturday

• Pasadena: Noon to 2 p.m. at Garfield and Colorado Boulevard, across from the Paseo Mall
• Eagle Rock: 1 to 2 p.m. at Colorado and Eagle Rock boulevards
• City of Los Angeles: 2 to 4:30 p.m. in Pershing Square

Sunday

• West Hollywood: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 647 N. San Vicente Blvd., across from the Pacific Design Center.
• City of Los Angeles: Noon to 2 p.m. at The Home Depot on 2055 N. Figueroa St.
• Beverly Hills: 2 and 4 p.m. at 9439 Santa Monica Blvd., between Beverly and Canon drives