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There is a national push underway supporting programs that will help families raise healthy babies.  The group Alabama Partnership for Children is joining the effort and asking lawmakers to approve legislation to create situations for rearing healthy children.

Calling their gathering on the steps of the state capitol building “Strolling Thunder”, organizers urged supporters to push strollers holding their children to the capitol steps on April 4 as a push for policy changes that would help families in need. 

“With relatively small investments, we can better ensure that young children enter school happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed,”said Gail Piggott, Executive Director of Alabama Partnership for Children.

Governor Kay Ivey addressed the crowd stating Alabama is making strides creating healthy learning and growing environments for children.

“We must place a renewed focus on retaining more child care options,  and we are doing just that,” Ivey stated. “With the top pre-k program in the country, and a centralized momentum to invest in child care, and early learning programs for our infants and toddlers, we are taking leaps forward in our efforts to improve education in Alabama.”

 Piggott said they are building support for families. “Ensuring optimum birth outcomes and early childhood health, and making high quality early learning programs available and affordable for our working families are the best investments in our future that the state can make,” said Piggott. 

Organizers said “Strolling Thunder ” was the flagship advocacy event of Think Babies TM aimed at bringing national attention to the many issues affecting what babies and families need to thrive. Piggott said  reducing maternal and infant mortality, investing in high quality child care supporting working families, supporting early childhood developmental and mental healthcare, and increasing funding to reduce child abuse and neglect are important goals.