CEAM graduating 26 Advanced Parent Advocates
Parents in St. Louis and Kansas City are eager and better prepared to tell their stories of how charter school choice has helped change their lives.
This week, 15 parents graduated from CEAM’s Advanced Advocacy training program, with another 11 parents expected to graduate next week.
Over the course of four weeks of training sessions, the parents have developed key skills for advocating not only for their children but for children across Missouri.
Parents learned the most effective uses of social media, how to testify before the state legislature, and how to work with other parents to develop a network of highly engaged education advocates, and how to be comfortable in interviews with the media.
“Before this training session, I would probably never have agreed to be interviewed by a reporter,” said one parent. “Now I am 100 percent more confident.”
The training sessions were offered through a partnership between CEAM and the Missouri Charter Public School Association to help charter school parents in St. Louis and Kansas City become better advocates for the school choices that are helping their families.
CEAM Team Community Outreach Manager Cici Tompkins said she thrilled by how the parents had grown during the training, noting that it was a pleasure to get get to meet parents on both sides of the state who were so engaged in fighting for the best future for their children.
CEAM will be offering the free Parent Advanced Advocacy training series again in the near future and looking for more parents who want to get more involved in fighting for parents power over their children’s education options.