Voices and Choices for Children Steering Committee Members at the 2018 PolicyLink Equity Summit

Who We Are

Voices and Choices for Children is a coalition that works closely with Minnesota’s Children’s Cabinet, state ethnic councils, state agencies, early childhood funders, non-profits, community-based organizations, early childhood advocates and parents representing communities of color and American Indian communities across the state. Our coalition focuses on developing strongly engaged cultural communities of learning, organizing and advocacy for their, input, and impact in shaping more equitable practices and policies that will support better outcomes for children of color and American Indian children prenatal to 8 years old across the state. We believe that people of color and American Indians must be at the table as polices are created and decisions made about and for our children.

The coalition prioritizes the voices of organizations, advocates and parents of color and American Indians working across early childhood sectors to more meaningfully engage and empower communities of color and American Indians—many of whom have traditionally been under-served by the existing early childhood education and child-development infrastructure.

Vision

Our goal is to ensure all children of color and American Indian children and their families have the opportunity to thrive and live their fullest lives. Our vision is that no child in Minnesota faces the systemic devaluing, undermining, disadvantaging or marginalizing of their individual identities through policies, practices, programs and attitudes that don’t fully affirm their cultural background, race, ability and experience. Our vision is for a state in which we have parents, advocates and leaders of color and American Indians enabled to exercise their collective power to promote their own solutions, visions and values for society based on increasing more equitable outcomes for their children and communities.