To prepare for one of our biggest events of the year—Strolling Thunder at the Georgia State Capitol—we at GEEARS put a lot of energy into defining what this day is all about.
- Strolling Thunder is a chance for families with young children to get some rare and vital facetime with their elected officials, delivering letters composed in pre-event advocacy trainings and making their “asks” for family-friendly policies like access to affordable child care, home visiting, and more.
- It’s an indelible image for elected officials. We hope that when they vote on laws and policies that affect Georgia’s youngest children, our legislators picture the Strolling Thunder kids’ squishy cheeks, sweet smiles, and onesies that read, Georgia’s Future Begins With Me.
- Finally, Strolling Thunder is a day of community, when parents and their young children, early educators, volunteers, and community partners get together to share stories, cheer each other on, romp in our soft play spaces, and enjoy a meal.
But Strolling Thunder is also a very stimulating adventure for young children and their parents. As GEEARS’ Executive Director, Mindy Binderman, recently noted, our ninth annual Strolling Thunder on January 29th was filled with joy, play, and also a lot of work. “These parents made this heavy lift with smiles on their faces and squirmy babies on their hips. Many of them, in the chats during our virtual trainings, said they advocate to model a valuable lesson for their children: If you want to help your community, you have to speak up. If you want to make change, you have to act.”
To show you exactly what it looks like speak up; to act, we followed four-year-old Mia from Evans, Georgia and her mother, Rebecca Best, a member of GEEARS’ Early Childhood Changemakers initiative. The Changemakers are local advocates working in their own communities to build, train, and lead advocacy efforts to make Georgia a better place for families and young children.
8:02 am—A Big Morning Begins
After arriving by shuttle bus at Strolling Thunder’s home base at the Georgia Freight Depot, Mia (plus her lovey, Elephant, who has come along for the day) is ready to play! Mother and daughter make their way to the “sensory play area,” a toy-strewn refuge set away from the noise of the main room. While Mia fashions a kid-sized, modular couch into a school bus, then a pet store, Rebecca notes that one inspiration for her early childhood advocacy comes from her role as Executive Director of Resilient Communities of East Georgia. “Our core program is for teens to reduce suicide rates,” she says. “But being a mom of a young child, I see the early development piece and what happens when that isn’t there.”
8:39 am—When I Grow Up
On their way back to the table where Rebecca and Mia will team up with other Augusta families to head to the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB) and the Gold Dome, Mia stops at a tiny dress rack and selects a white smock with blue trim. “Ooh, that one says scientist,” her mom says before Mia poses, her fingers V’d into a peace sign, beneath balloon letters that spell, WHEN I GROW UP. Mia’s dad, who works in hospital construction, would be pleased.
8:57 am—Letters to Legislators Get a Final Touch
Strolling Thunder is a two-part event. At any time during our unpredictable day at the Capitol, a legislative vote or a toddler tantrum can jettison a parent advocate’s moment with her elected official. That’s why all Strolling Thunder families attend a virtual training to prepare for January 29th and write letters to their legislators. Now, Rebecca and fellow advocates sign their printed letters before they’re sealed in envelopes for delivery.
Mia’s contribution to her mom’s letter is a big red heart and her name spelled out with stickers. Her mom’s words are just as striking: “Despite having the financial means and a strong desire to place [Mia] in an excellent program,” she wrote to her state senator, Lee Anderson, “we quickly discovered that the availability [of child care] was nearly nonexistent. After calling more than a dozen facilities, we were forced to piece together care—enrolling her in a half-day church program and scrambling to find afternoon sitters, which proved just as difficult.”
9:38 am—Say Cheese!
The entire Strolling Thunder crew—over 100 strong—tromps across the street to pose for a massive group photo on the Capitol Steps—with all the baby strollers lined up in the front row!
9:49 am—Close Encounter
As they cross the street to head into the CLOB, Rebecca literally crosses paths with her state representative (who also happens to be the husband of a friend). “Rob!” she calls to Rob Clifton as he strides toward the Gold Dome, where the House is about to convene. He waves as she calls, “I’m coming to see you later!”
10:05 am—We Come Bearing Gifts
After a long wait in the security line and a trek through the serpentine halls of the CLOB, Rebecca and Mia find Senator Anderson’s office—where two staffers tell her he’s home for a family funeral. Undeterred, Mia hands over their letter and Rebecca shares her struggles to find child care. “It’s important that laws and legislation and regulations be in place to make it easier for folks to open child care centers,” she proposes, adding brightly, “Just something to think about!”
10:45 am—Inspiring Curiosity
After dropping off a second letter in Representative Clifton’s office, it’s time for another street-crossing and another security line at the State Capitol. “Can I read your shirt?” asks a woman who’s also waiting. Mia shows off her Strolling Thunder slogan with pride.
10:50 am—Under the Gold Dome
While the babies in strollers wait for the elevators, Rebecca and Mia scale long flights of stairs, then enter a scrum of fellow constituents in an area outside the House chamber known as “the ropes.” Rebecca hands a House page her pre-filled form asking for Representative Clifton to be summoned. And then it’s time to wait. In their coordinated, blue T-shirts, Rebecca and Mia attract the attention of Representative Lisa Campbell.
“Oh, you’re from Strolling Thunder,” she says, stopping for a chat. Campbell explains the bill she’s sponsoring, which would establish a child care trust fund, and asks for Rebecca’s support.
11:01 am—Talking the Talk
Representative Clifton emerges for a quick moment of facetime before dashing back into the chamber for a vote. In all of about three minutes, Rebecca congratulates him on the impending birth of a new baby, fills him in on her role with the Early Childhood Changemakers, and makes her case for more support for child care providers and families struggling to find care in areas like hers.
11:15 am—A Gallery View
Another flight of stairs brings Rebecca and Mia to the House Gallery, where an insistent bell-ringing signifies a vote! They get as close to the brass handrail as they can to peer down at the grand chamber.
11:59 am—Back to Home Base (Before the Long Journey Home)
Back at the Freight Depot for the final hour of Strolling Thunder, Rebecca fills two plates at the lunch buffet and sits down, perhaps for the first time today. Mia is much more interested in the soft play spaces than her chicken nuggets. With one eye tracking her daughter, Rebecca relaxes with a few other exhausted parents and wonders if Mia will conk out during the long drive home, ponders how she’ll possibly finish a grant application due the next day, and muses that her daughter’s shoes seem to have gone missing. It’s all the usual mental load of a working mom. But one thing is clear—adding “advocate” to her many job titles makes all the sense in the world.
“I already work in the work,” she says with a smile. “For me, having others understand early childhood is just so important.”
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