Progress Report
Last Updated: October 2011
Watch our May, 2011 progress update webinar
The Children’s Movement of Florida has emerged this past year to become the most advanced statewide advocacy organizations for children’s issues in the United States.
The Children’s Movement’s first-year accomplishments are outlined below and in our 2011 legislative session summary webinar. The Movement’s pre-launch came in May 2010, with the official launch in September 2010. Here are some of our accomplishments from just the past 18 months:
1. The Pilot (The Palm Beach Project):
Organized 30 neighborhood meetings during a one-month test market in Palm Beach County.
2. Organized 17 regional committees throughout Florida.
3. Developed a following via"Milk Parties":
Organized 17 "Milk Party" rallies from Pensacola to Key West with a total attendance of 15,000.
4. Produced awareness and educational material:
Communicated The Movement message and objectives via print and broadcast media. And, produced videos for both the Palm Beach Project and "I Am Florida" (The latter video has been shown to tens of thousands of Floridians).
5. Generated substantial media coverage:
Including television, newspaper and Internet coverage, plus support from editorial boards of major newspapers throughout Florida -- and a national TV piece on CNN.
6. Fund-Raising:
Raised more than $2 million dollars to finance activities.
7. Identified five key issue priorities:
Issues were determined via focus groups and a statewide poll, uniting a significant outpouring of advocates and activists for children in Florida.
8. Organized a lobbying campaign in Tallahassee:
The lobbying campaign advocated for The Movement’s priority issues during the 2011 legislative session.
9. Guided by a statewide committee:
Worked with a bipartisan 28-member statewide steering committee that gave The Children's Movement issues additional credibility and feasibility in Florida.
10. Reaching tens of thousands of Floridians:
The Movement now communicates with almost 300,000 followers via an Internet operation that integrates a sophisticated web site with significant presence on social media networks.
11. Florida and beyond:
The Movement has generated significant interest in organizing Children’s Movements in other states.
12. The Listening Tour:
In the summer of 2011 our team went back to the same 17 cities in which it held Milk Party rallies the previous September to meet with the regional committees – more than 400 business, civic and political leaders dedicated to Florida's children – to discuss The Movement's “next steps.”
13. The “Dream Prizes” promotion:
Launched a statewide promotion to help build The Children’s Movement. For just $25 contributors become members of The Movement and are entered for a chance to win one of eight major prizes.
14. 2012 legislative agenda:
Crafted a simpler, more affordable agenda with the focus still on our five key issues and the addition of a public education component – ensuring that more children are reading at grade-level by third grade.
Clearly, we need to take further steps in order to make investment in children a much higher priority in this state.
The next steps:
-- Led by Dave Lawrence, The Movement's chair, we will travel to 10 major media markets during the months of November and December -- meeting with local organizations, editorial boards and media people -- to announce our 2012 legislative agenda and host "Books and Cookies" reading events at local child care centers.
-- Continue to build our reach via the Internet to communicate and engage close to a half-million followers by the end of the year.
-- Raise funds to carry out the next year's work.