ECHOES logo

Recent Early Childhood Activism and Organizing

Part of Early Childhood History, Organizing, Ethos, and Strategy Project

Check out some examples of contemporary early childhood activism and organizing led by early educators and advocates.

Early educator-led activism and organizing

Day Without Child Care

Unnamed

Day Without Child Care returns for the fourth year on May 12, 2025. Sponsored by Community Change, this annual day of action calls on childcare providers, with the support of the families they serve, to shut their doors to draw attention to the national crisis that our childcare system is in. Explore actions from recent years below.

Day Without Childcare Ap Img 4

2022: Child care workers rally at City Hall in Philly for raises during one-day strike

About two hundred day care workers staged a one-day strike in Philadelphia and came to City Hall calling for higher wages.

Read More

A woman and a boy dressed in winter clothes stand among other demonstrators holding signs that read

2023: Hundreds Rally At ​“Morning Without Childcare” in New Haven

Educators gathered among parents, principals, and allies for the second annual ​“Morning Without Childcare” rally, demonstrating that without childcare workers, kids, parents, and employers are left stranded.

Read More

Attendees at a rally on affordable child care hold signs

2024: Child care facilities in Ohio close down for the day as workers call for change in state policy

Hundreds of child care facilities in Ohio closed on and their workers rallied at the Statehouse to draw attention to the child care crisis.

Read More

Early educators in North Carolina fight for fair wages.

2024: A day without child care: A glimpse into North Carolina’s future

On May 16, we will be closing our child care centers for a day — signaling a crisis that could soon sweep across North Carolina, dismantling the very backbone of our economy: child care.

Read More

California Family Child Care Union

Early educator in California speaking out against unfair wages.

Child Care Providers’ Union Secures Checks up to $10,000 to Start Arriving in Provider Mailboxes Monday

California’s subsidized child care providers are finally set to receive long overdue supplemental pay from the state this month following more than a year of organizing and bargaining efforts from providers.

Read More

Maine Early Educators Protest Cuts

Early educators at the state capitol in Maine, fighting to keep their wage supplement from being cut in half.

Proposed Cuts to Maine’s Child Care Programs Threaten Hard-Won Gains for Early Educators

By Arabella Bloom • March 11, 2025

Read More

Resources that advocates are using to influence ECE workforce policies

California Early Educator Engagement and Empowerment (E4) Toolkit

  • The California E4 Toolkit connects educators in California to data and resources regarding the ECE to strengthen educator-led advocacy.

Early Educator Engagement and Empowerment (E4) Toolkit

The North Carolina Worthy Wage Campaign Toolkit 

  • This resource equips advocates with talking points and data on North Carolina’s early education workforce.

CSCCE’s Bold on Early Educator Compensation Learning Community

  • Advocates, government representatives, and legislators from seven states came together to advance compensation for the early childhood workforce. Learn about their takeaways.

Archive