ACCA reports that funding for child care is in serious danger in the Alabama budget for 2013. The Department of Human Resources expects to have 25% less money in 2013 than it does in 2012.

For the past few years, with a commitment to child care and hard work, the Department has been able to maintain 28,000 children on the child care subsidy program. That goal will not be possible with huge cuts to the DHR budget.

Cuts in child care funding mean fewer children enrolled on the subsidy program, parents unable to work and more children in risky child care arrangements. State cuts also mean that Alabama will lose millions of dollars of federal child care money.

Take action and download a petition now by clicking here.

The petitions are due February 20. Please mail to the Alabama Child Care Alliance, PO Box 214, Montgomery, AL 36101 or bring them to the FOCAL Office, 3703 Rosa Parks Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36105. For more information, call Deborah Thomas at 334-262-3456.

If you’re a member of Alabama Arise, that organization will hold a membership meeting at 12:30.

We hope that everyone from the GLD 2012 class will attend a lobby day this year. Watch this space or follow us on Twitter for additional lobby day announcements.

photo by Silicon Prairie News

By Stephen Stetson, Policy Analyst, Alabama Arise

Plan ahead:

• You are interviewing a community leader or elected official. Their time is usually especially limited. Once you have your interview time arranged, be early. Give yourself time to park, find the office, etc. Any lateness on your part will likely cut into your interview time.
• Have an extra pen. You don’t want to interrupt the conversation to borrow one.
• If you are using a recording device, have extra batteries. Test the device in the car before you arrive to make sure it is working properly. Have a pen and paper ready, just in case it isn’t.
• Have a list of questions.

Before the interview:

• Sit where the interviewee suggests. If you are far away from where they are sitting, ask if you can pull the chair closer. The ideal situation would be as close to the other side of a desk or table as possible, allowing you to either put the recording device on the flat surface between you, or take notes on a pad in your lap.
• If there is a door to a lobby where there is outside noise, ask if you can close it. Some degree of phone interruption and background noise may be inevitable, but do your best to minimize distractions.
• If possible, don’t put your written notes on the table between you. A lot of interviewees will be distracted trying to read your notes upside down as you take them.
• Provide your business card if you have one.
• Turn off your phone.

During the interview:

• At the start, check to make sure your recording device is running, but don’t fidget with it during the conversation.
• Taking notes in your lap while maintaining eye contact is difficult, but the ideal. If you’re struggling with it, err on the side of looking at your notes. The most important thing is that you can read your notes after the interview.
• Don’t be afraid to deviate from your pre-prepared list of questions. Sometimes the best information comes on follow-up questions. It’s important to let the conversation flow as naturally as possible, while steering it back to your prepared questions.
• Have a sense of which questions are the most important and which can be punted if you start to run short on time. Keep an eye on the clock so you don’t run overtime. Respecting the other person’s time is crucial.
• Be patient if the person is interrupted by calls or messages. They’re leaders, so that is common. Use the interruptions to prepare your next question, but also don’t let the interruption throw you onto a new subject if you were getting good information from the previous question.
• Be willing to let a pause hang in the air for a few seconds longer than you would in ordinary conversation. Most often, the other person will feel the pause and fill it with additional information. Let them keep talking (as long as they are saying something good). A little pause can go a long way in encouraging the other person to fill the space.
• On the other hand, even though it’s a friendly interview, don’t let them spend the whole interview answering the first question. Have a sense of how much time makes sense for each question, and don’t be afraid to steer things (politely) to the next question.

After the interview:

• Be sure to thank the person. Be sure you have their contact information so that you can either follow-up on a question, or, at minimum, thank them for granting you the interview.
• As quickly as possible after you leave the office (I recommend the car while you are still in the parking lot), look over your notes. Make any adjustments or additions. Make sure your handwriting is legible. Your memory is freshest right after the fact and will only fade and get worse. Don’t think, “I’ll just add that in later, when I get around to typing up my notes.”