Looking back over the last year, I'm proud of everything that we've accomplished together for Texas kids -- and fired up to do a lot more work together with you when the Legislature convenes in a few weeks.
Here are a few moments from 2016 that stand out for me:
Talking to the mother of a child with speech delays about the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) therapies she needs in order to communicate clearly and then -- a few days after we published our report on the loss of ECI services -- calling into our office to celebrate the breaking news that the House Speaker plans to reverse the therapy cuts in the upcoming legislative session.
Watching legislators’ faces as they learned about 10-year-olds in juvenile lock-up from our staff and, for the first time in memory, devoted time in a hearing to talking about better options for addressing the needs of 10-year-olds when they get in trouble.
Seeing a sympathetic Senator wave our pre-k policy brief in the air and read out excerpts as other committee members tried to question the effectiveness of early childhood education.
Meeting with top policymakers about the need to stabilize the CPS workforce to keep kids safe and then celebrating the historic breakthrough when state leaders approved the new pay raise and hiring plan.
Turning on the TV and watching our staff there on the news describe how we organized over 50 health groups to call on state officials to ensure kids have nutritious food and plenty of active playtime in child care.
Standing alongside Representative Four Price at our policy forum in Amarillo as an audience member told the lawmaker and us about kids struggling in school because they didn't get mental health support earlier in childhood.
Thanks to you, these and other moments throughout the year are real wins for Texas kids.
Will you donate today to help us build on our success and ensure that the Legislature puts kids first in 2017?
Thank you for your support!