ACNJ's Parent Leadership Council

Helping parents harness their voice to be the best advocates they can be by providing them with information, training, support and a space to tell policymakers what their children and families need to thrive.

Parents: We Need Your Voices!

Parents: We Need Your Voices

As parents and caregivers, you are the experts in what children need to unlock their potential and help them thrive. Your input and personal stories are invaluable in informing, advocating, developing solutions and creating better outcomes for children and families.

Opportunities for parents to get involved in advocacy.

  1. Contact your legislators on issues impacting your children and families. Sign up for our email list! Get the latest action alerts and advocate with the click of a finger.
  2. Participate in advocacy activities. ACNJ provides a platform for parents to meet with their legislators to discuss your issues. We can also provide support to prepare you to testify in legislative hearings, write op-eds or speak to the media.
  3. Engage with other parents by attending monthly meetings highlighting different policy topics that impact children and families. Click here for meetings coming up and highlights of past meetings. 
  4. Represent parents on the Parent Leadership Council. By participating you can help guide  policies and advocacy activities.

Equipping parents with information, training, support and guidance to help them be the best advocates they can be.

Think you can't do it? Well, yes you can!

In 2020, ACNJ partnered with Melinated Moms to engage parents with real life experiences. Through Melinated Moms’ Find Your Roar trainings, parents are upheld as experts with the ability to advocate for change to bring about better outcomes for their children and communities. Parents who completed the Find Your Roar trainings were invited to form the ROAR Parent Leadership Council, where they offer input to proposed solutions.

Legislators and policymakers tend to read the newspaper and watch the news, so hearing your message from those channels can be particularly persuasive. We will provide you with the support and guidance to deliver your message to the news media or testify in front of a legislative committee hearing.

Ready to get involved and have your voice heard?

We want to speak with you! Contact us at advocates@acnj.org or call 973-643-3876.

You Are The Experts on What Babies Need

So let's tell lawmakers what babies need and to make babies a high priority when making decisions.

Why is Parent Leadership important?
Those most impacted by the issues should be the ones providing the solutions!
Parent Leadership Council Vision/Mission
Vision: To enhance and broaden the quality and delivery of essential services for families in New Jersey by engaging parents on real world policy solutions. Mission The ROAR Parent Leadership Council (PLC) is an advocacy group that connects, supports, and empowers NJ parents and guardians to identify and improve essential services for families, share available resources, and advocate for better legislation for parents and children.
What does the Council do?
Council members share their experiences and insights; serve as liaisons between the Council, fellow parents, and policymakers; and build bridges of support and awareness on behalf of underserved families to promote community welfare and create a more equitable society.  The Council is a joint initiative of ACNJ and Melinated Moms.
Advocacy activities
    • Lunch & Learn Series
    • Selfcare Day
    • Strolling Thunder
    • Testifying Before Lawmakers
How to join the Council?
Find Your ROAR graduates and fellow parents are invited to serve as advocates and liaisons on the Council. If you are interested in getting involved in any of ACNJ’s parent leadership work, contact the Parent Engagement Manager, Miguelina Maldonado, at mmaldonado@acnj.org or 973-643-3876 x 213. 
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Sharing your story with decision-makers

Parents have testified before state legislators about parental leave, finding child care and the challenges of raising a baby in New Jersey.

View parent testimonies
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Raise your voices for babies at Strolling Thunder NJ

At this annual event parents have an opportunity to tell decision makers to make babies a high priority.

Learn what Strolling Thunder New Jersey is all about.
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Parent Leaders "In the News"Talking about their issues

With some support you can also amplify the issues that concern parents most. 

Read articles in which parent leaders have been featured.

Resources