Children’s Advocacy Day is this Thursday! The day kicks of with a rally in the Capitol Rotunda at 10:00 AM and activities run through 3:00 PM. After the rally, attendees are free to eat lunch in the cafeteria, learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda items, meet with legislators, sit-in on committee meetings, and sit-in on a House or Senate meeting. If you are planning on attending, please don’t forget to register!

If you have registered to attend, please take a moment to review the things below, in order to have a smooth and successful trip to the Capitol:

• Make sure everyone in your group registers in advance, to help us prepare enough materials for everyone.

• Preview the Children’s Advocacy Day Booklet (pdf), which includes the day’s agenda, a child advocate to-do list, a map of the Capitol, the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda and fact sheets on all seven agenda items. Additionally, each fact sheet identifies actions that you can take today to support these issues.

• If you are interested in meeting with a legislator, make an appointment as soon as possible. Please do not wait until the day you arrive to try to get an appointment! You may want to become familiar with your legislator’s picture so you can pick them out. Check Project Vote Smartor the Legislative Research Commission website to learn who represents you. Call 502-564-8100 to schedule an appointment.

• This year, we will be delivering Step Up for Kids Notes (pdf) to legislators, asking them to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda. These will be available at the registration tables next week. However, if you know of partners, local coalitions, fellow employees, students, clients, or parents who can not attend, have them fill them out for you to deliver. They are available online, here. Simply print, cut, and deliver.

• Check out the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children webpage to learn more about the issues facing Kentucky’s children during the 2012 legislative session.

• Be prepared to show a photo ID (drivers license) when you enter the building.

• Wear comfortable shoes!

• Find directions to the Capitol, from your starting location, here.

• Free parking is available in the parking garage next to the Capitol Annex Building (entrance is off of Route 420). Also, the city of Frankfort is kindly offering bus transportation to assist people in avoiding the tough parking situation and anxiety about getting to the Capitol. The bus will be at the parking lot on the corner of Broadway and Wilkinson Boulevard (The Franklin County Farmers Market Parking Lot). Trips to the Capitol will be made at 9:00 and 9:30 AM, and trips from the Capitol, back to the parking lot will be made at 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM. Directions can be found here.

• Lunch can be purchased in the cafeteria in the basement of the Annex (inexpensive but expect lines) and snacks can be purchased at the snack bar in the basement of the Annex if you decide not to bring a sack lunch.

Questions? Contact Whitney Neal at wneal@kyyouth.org or 502-895-8167 x 121.

Thanks to the Children’s Advocacy Day Sponsors