Today’s Child staff, along with some of the children they care for, appeared at a rally in Media on Thursday June 17. A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered outside the Media courthouse, demanding a budget which fairly funded social programs.

   The rally was hosted by the Southeastern PA Budget Coalition. The coalition is a group of over 90 non-profit and for-profit organizations in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Today’s Child was one of over 50 groups sponsoring the event.

   Speakers at the rally included Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood, Ann Cope from the non-profit Freedom Valley Disability Center and JoAnn Weinberger from the Center for Literacy. All the day's speakers had a common theme: Harrisburg can't pass a budget on cuts alone; alternate sources of revenue need to be included in any budget passed.

   Programs such as Pre-K Counts, Keystone STARS and the PA Head Start Supplemental are essential to the survival of Early Childhood Education facilities like Today’s Child. If the funding for these programs was cut, many families would be left without care, forced to either stop working or find other means of care for their children.

   Public Relations Director Andrew Randall was interviewed by a reporter from the local Univision affiliate at the event, making clear that Today’s Child wants to provide the best care possible to the children of Delaware County, however that won’t be possible without proper funding from the Commonwealth. Several photographers came by to snap pictures of the children from the Media Center as they sat quietly in the grass, listening to what each speaker had to say.

   Staff from TCLC had a good opportunity to connect with staff from other early learning centers and advocacy groups geared towards funding Pre-K Education. While waiting for the rally to start, TCLC's children sang and cheered, eliciting laughter and applause from the crowd that had gathered.

   Once the rally started, it was all business, with each speaker calling on the crowd to push Harrisburg to provide funding for essential services including education, elder care, support for those in poverty and other causes. Speakers made it clear that services and jobs were on the line and that cuts to essential services would cost Pennsylvania dearly. You can still help us in the fight for funding by visiting the Community Outreach section of our website and reaching out to your elected representation. Call, email or send them a letter stating how important the programming at Today's Child is to you and your family, and what the impact would be if that was discontinued for you.

   In the fight for funding, every voice counts! This is your chance to educate legislators in the Commonwealth on how early education programs are succeeding and the impact they're having on the community.

   Photos can be viewed here: http://photos.todayschild.us/index.php?album=mediarally2010