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Congressional Visit Campaign

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ACT NOW!   1. Schedule a program visit with your federal legislators. 2. Prepare for the visit. 3. Host the visit using suggested talking points and the Ask. 4. Pin your meeting on the Campaign Map.

Members of Congress have left Washington and returned home for a week-long recess. They will be back in their states and districts talking to constituents. This presents the perfect opportunity for us to educate Members of Congress, particularly new ones, about adult education and family literacy.

We learned recently that new House Members, in particular, are in a challenging position of both learning legislative procedures while also advancing a legislative agenda. House staff with the Education and Workforce Committee asked that we help by educating the many new Members of the Education and the Workforce Committee about the impact and need of adult education and family literacy. Other staff members have urged us to educate all new Members of Congress!

Action Request:

Join us in a Congressional Visit Campaign to get all 535 Members of Congress or their District Aides to visit adult education and family literacy programs! Host a visit and pin your location on the District Campaign Map. Here’s how:

1. Schedule Your Visit

Invite your U.S. Senators and Representative to visit your program while they are home during Constituent Work Weeks. If the Member is unavailable to visit your program, extend the invitation to District Aides. District Aides are key allies for adult education and family literacy programs. Alternatively, you might wish to take a team of program staff, adult learners, and community members to meet with the legislator or District Aide in the District office. Learn more.

House and Senate Schedules:

House Members have 11 Constituent Work Weeks this year, in addition to the usual seasonal recess periods. These work weeks are intended for meeting with constituents back home in their districts.

• House Calendar

• Senate Calendar

2. Prepare for Your Visit

Resources:

• Making a Visit to the District Office: How To’s and Tips

• Create a packet of leave-behind information to give the legislator or District Aide. Share this fact sheet and others you have on your program’s successes and needs: Adult Education: A Good Investment in National Priorities. Include your business card.
  
  
• Help Students Prepare

Is Your Member on Key Committees?

• Are your Senators and U.S. Representative on one or more key committees that impact adult education funding or legislation? If so, then it’s even more important for you to educate your Member(s) about adult education and family literacy issues and how it connects to their priorities. See the list of Key Committees.

• Learn your legislator’s priorities by visiting his or her website, read the bio, determine which committees your legislator has joined.

3. Host the Visit

Depending on the legislator’s or aide’s preference, you might be facilitating the meeting or the legislator and aide may decide to take the lead. Be flexible.

Suggested Talking Points:

• Have the Member meet your students and discuss their goals for participating in adult education or family literacy.

• Discuss how investing in adult education and family literacy is a critical step to getting our nation well on the road to economic recovery.

• Share how you leverage resources and collaborate with other programs, agencies, and/or the community to maximize program efficiency.

• Highlight one successful, innovative activity in which your program has engaged to help students reach their goals, especially workforce-related goals.

• Share local examples of how adult education supports national priorities.

• Share your program’s needs, such as the need to reduce waiting lists, the need for more innovation or technology, or the need for staff development, for example.

End the Meeting: Ask the legislator to protect adult education and family literacy funding and to invest in innovation for these programs.

Follow Up:

• Thank the Member or District Aide for their time; reiterate points you discussed in the meeting. Provide additional resources, as applicable.

• Involve students in writing follow up thank you emails to the legislator.

4. Pin Your Meeting on the District Campaign Map!

Email us at ncl@ncladvocacy.org with:

• Name/title
• Program
• City / State
• Brief summary of visit (100 words or less)
• Next steps
• Photos and/or video of program visit

We’ll then use the information you send us and link it to your location on the online Congressional Campaign Map. Make sure you have your students’ permission to post a photo of them online with the legislator.

We’d love to watch the number of Congressional visits grow! Let’s help educate Every Member of Congress by having each one visit an Adult Education and Family Literacy Program in 2011.