Advocacy & Public Policy
Join us in advocating for public policies that help eliminate poverty in our communities.
Our 2024 Public Policy Agenda
Sustained Progress for Early Childhood Education (ages 0-8)
As leaders of the Early Education Works Coalition, United Way advocates for increasing Indiana’s early childhood education workforce through apprenticeships, work-based learning opportunities and competency-based pathways. The coalition also proposes the creation of child care microcenters in hard-to-serve areas of the state.
Advancing Economic Mobility
In collaboration with public and private organizations across the state, United Way advocates for increasing access to in-state tuition for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and other undocumented students, studying a paid family leave pilot for families that qualify for TANF and studying student financial aid for people affected by the criminal justice system.
Increase Supply of Affordable Housing
In partnership with the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition and Prosperity Indiana, United Way advocates for increasing the supply of quality affordable housing, ensuring the preservation of existing affordable housing, ending housing discrimination and raising homeownership rates in Central Indiana.
Supporting Our Advocacy Partners
To complement our issue areas of early childhood education, housing and economic mobility, United Way joins its advocacy partners in the areas of predatory lending, support for student parents, and seeding tax-advantaged 529 education accounts for Medicaid births.
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Elected officials need and want to hear from you. Join us in advocating for public policy that helps our community thrive. We’ll keep you up to date with what’s happening and how you can take action.
Who is my lawmaker?
Use the interactive tool embedded on this page to learn who represents your community in the Indiana General Assembly.
How does it work?
United Way of Central Indiana’s VoterVoice tool allows individuals to connect directly with their legislators for targeted calls to action.
Hundreds of United Way advocates were instrumental in the expansion of Indiana's pre-k program for low-income families in 2018.
Today, the On My Way Pre-K program continues to serve thousands of low-income students statewide.
United Way’s leadership of the Early Education Works Coalition continues the advocacy for pre-K expansion as a two-generation solution to educational success and sustainable workforce growth.
Public Policy Milestones
2023
United Way and its partners secured some of the largest and most meaningful updates to Indiana’s early care and learning system since the General Assembly approved On My Way Pre-K. Additionally, we were successful in increasing both eligibility and cash benefit amounts for families who receive TANF.
2022
In partnership with Early Education Works coalition partners, we achieved passage of a bill that addressed the growing shortage of Indiana’s early care and learning education workforce. Additionally, United Way advocated to help address barriers to housing, access to mental health services and transportation.
2021
Indiana continues investment in On My Way Pre-K and expands to serve more families who otherwise would not have access to child care
2020
2-1-1 services were transitioned to the Family and Social Services Administration to better align state resources with community supports, early learning was incorporated into the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet’s education planning, and investments in mass transit were preserved.
2019
On My Way Pre-K became a statewide program and a statewide bias crimes law was enacted.
United Way of Central Indiana's advocacy work is produced with support from the Alliance for Early Success, a 50-state early childhood advocacy resource that provides connections, expertise, technical assistance, and targeted investments to allies pursuing policies that improve outcomes for children birth through age 8.
