At Defending the Early Years (DEY), our advocacy campaigns are at the heart of our mission: to work for just, equitable, and quality early childhood education and care for every young child. Through these campaigns, we empower educators, administrators, and parents with critical information about how young children develop and learn best.

We champion active, playful, and experiential approaches to learning—methods grounded in child development theory and supported by evidence-based research. Our advocacy work highlights policies and practices that nurture the whole child and push back against developmentally overwhelming and inappropriate expectations, as well as harmful educational reforms.

Explore our current and past campaigns to see how we are raising awareness, influencing policy, and mobilizing communities in the fight for a more equitable and child-centered approach to early education.