As the Senior Director for State and National Campaigns at Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), I see every day how powerful activism can be. As 2019 comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect proudly on all of the ways that you – our activists and supporters – made a difference for kids in the U.S. and around the world by raising your voices.

In fact, just this month, Congress and the administration passed a spending bill for 2020. And, thanks to the efforts of our 330,000 grassroots supports, hundreds of volunteers across the country and numerous coalition partners, that bill included significant victories for kids!

Overall, the early childhood programs we advocate for saw an increase of more than $1 billion. That means thousands of kids will benefit from programs like high-quality child care, preschool and Head Start. They will start kindergarten ready to learn.

And because of the activism of supporters like you, we were also able to prevent cuts in programs that serve refugees and people living in disaster areas. There was even an increase in funding for humanitarian support to children and families at our southern border. Congress also funded alternatives to detention for migrant children and families, reducing the need to keep them detained for long periods of time. 

These victories come on top of many other accomplishments for kids this year. Here are some highlights of what we accomplished at Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) thanks to you:

 

We couldn’t achieve these victories without our volunteers around the country who work tirelessly to speak out for kids. I’m so proud to be a part of this movement for kids, and I hope to work with you all again in 2020!