Showing up for Our Kids: Two Get-Out-The-Vote Events Aimed at Parents of Little Ones 

Until they’re 18 years old, no one can vote . . . for elected officials, that is. But at the sprawling child care center, Sheltering Arms Educare Atlanta, dozens of toddlers have been making their voices heard at the tiniest of ballot boxes.  

At a Get-Out-The-Vote event at Educare on the evening of October 1st, adults registered to vote and checked their registration status, attended a “know before you go” session about the voting process, gathered resources from community organizations including the GEEARS-led PAACT: Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive, and collected boxed dinners to take home. Meanwhile, their preschoolers led them through hallways lined with posters depicting the results of their own elections.  

Two stacks of apples—one tall, one short—showed that green fruits had won over red. Poor Batman only got three votes in his race against Spiderman. And, in an upset anyone could have predicted, chocolate ice cream cones beat out vanilla.  

Educare center director, Johnnetta Miller, explained the evening’s format: “Educare operates with a two-generation approach. We not only educate our children, but we also help our parents to do better and be better,” she said. “We thought, ‘What better way than to talk about resources in your community and how to get involved;, talking to legislators and actually using your voice to make the difference you want to see?’ So, this is what came of that.”  

That extra encouragement is needed. Research has shown that parents with young children at home are less likely to vote. 

Proving that point, Educare parent Ivory Shyleen, told us that even as a professional advocate with the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, she can find voting challenging (though she always makes it happen).  

“I’m a mom of two and my son is on the spectrum, and sometimes we just get caught up in our daily lives,” she observes. “It’s good to see something like this implemented in a place we go every day, so we get educated and reminded to take advantage of these opportunities that we do have.” 

Shyleen and Miller both said tailoring this event to Educare’s families—particularly by providing dinner so parents didn’t have to worry about cooking during their kids’ witching hours—communicates to their community how much their voices, and votes, matter.  

The same sentiment inspired a thoughtful GOTV gathering that same morning at La Escuelita, a preschool based in a Norcross apartment community. Most of the school’s families are Spanish-speaking immigrants, so La Escuelita and GEEARS teamed up with CDF Action and Poder Latinx’s Daniel Campos to speak to the mothers in their own language.  

While the women dunked pan dulce in coffee and their kids snacked on fruit and juice boxes, Campos talked about the profound effect legislation can have on their daily lives, including the cost of child care and healthcare. He emphasized how important a vote on behalf of young children can be and encouraged them to spread the word amongst their communities to make sure all eligible Georgians get themselves to the polls.  

To emphasize the connection between voting and our kids’ well-being, GEEARS invited the La Escuelita parents to share stories about their child care challenges, which we will convey to candidates and elected officials to strengthen our advocacy efforts. 

Both of these events were tailored to their audience of busy parents with little ones in tow. They were fun and creative, and families came away with goodies ranging from GEEARS tote bags and notepads to a meal to Amazon gift cards.  

Is this a lot of effort to get out the vote? Perhaps, but it’s an indicator of the critical place families with young children hold in our society—and the power of their votes. We hope you’ll steer all the parents in your orbit toward events like these and to GEEARS’ 2024 Voter Guide, which can help you make early childhood-informed decisions as you head to the polls.