The Whole Child

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Five Steps for Passing a Resolution

Getting your community to pass a resolution is an important first step in raising awareness and building support for the whole child initiative. Once a resolution is in place, it becomes easier for your community to institute policies and raise funds to ensure each child each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

This section offers step-by-step advice for passing a whole child resolution in your community. Each of the five steps includes tasks for you to check off once you've completed them. Helpful tips to guide your efforts are also included.

1. Take one small step for the whole child.

• Ask your local school board members to pass a resolution supporting education of the whole child. Share a copy of the resolution and have informal meetings with school board members to garner support for the resolution.
• Have your friends and neighbors ask their local school board members to pass the same resolution. (It is all right if they approach the same school board members; having many people ask for the same resolution increases the chances that school board members will support it.)
• Approach school board members who already support a whole child approach to sponsor the resolution.

2. Share the journey.

• Make sure your local school board members and elected officials know you are willing to work hard to support their efforts to sponsor and pass the whole child resolution.
• Ask them to suggest other allies, both elected officials and members of local interest groups, whom you can tap for support. Ask for advice about other ways you can drum up support and launch a successful campaign.

3. Spread the word.

• Ask your friends and neighbors to sign the Whole Child Petition.
• Submit letters to the editor to your local newspaper.

4. Make friends.

• Tap into groups of community stakeholders with ready-made audiences who are interested in helping to advance the whole child cause. Some possible groups from which to solicit support:
  
  • Parents
  • Businesses
  • Doctors and health care professionals
  • Education groups (e.g., parent-teacher organizations)
  • Community leaders and organizations (e.g., the Rotary Club or Kiwanis Club)
• Contact community stakeholder groups:
  
  • Give them a copy of the resolution to share with their members and audiences.
  • Have them ask the local school board and municipal governing body to pass the whole child resolution.
  • Have them circulate the resolution and a petition at meetings or in their businesses.

5. Know that you may win some and lose some.

• Even though educating the whole child is an important goal, not everyone will agree. Work with your allies to learn why some people may or may not support this cause.
• If you have tried unsuccessfully to convince an elected official to sponsor or support the whole child resolution, ask someone else to speak with this official using a different approach. He or she may change his or her opinion. If not, agree to disagree and move along.

Helpful Tips

Form a Good Working Group
On just about every issue, policy, or campaign, you will find enthusiastic supporters. Take note—they are your future leaders and the ones you want to keep in the loop and work with continually.

Think and Act Locally
After working with your local school board members, you can focus on other public officials, such as your representatives on town/county councils and municipal legislative bodies. Just remember, the larger the scope of the legislative body, the greater the number of supporters needed to pass the resolution.

Use Multipurpose Tools
Petitions can help you build and demonstrate support; they also provide a ready-made list of supporters for future steps. Letters to the editor will inform your community about the whole child and may bring forward supporters you have not yet reached.

Thank the Helpers
Officials, especially elected officials, love to see the phrase "thank you for helping" combined with their name. Take every opportunity to thank them personally and publicly. In addition, send the third sample letter to the editor to your local newspaper, publicly thanking school board members and elected officials for their action.