Set up a meeting with your member
Due to the pandemic, most Hill meetings are being conducted virtually. The good news is that the virtual format makes interacting with your federal lawmakers much more accessible and easier to coordinate. Each meeting will last approximately 30 minutes.
In some cases, the Member will be able to join; in other cases, you will be meeting with the staff member, who serves as a liaison to the member of Congress and will brief them after the meeting. In some cases, it can be better to meet with a staff person, because they are responsible for analyzing and making recommendations to their bosses on legislation!
The time is now!
Now is an excellent time to begin reaching out to your members of Congress to schedule meetings. We recommend that you contact both the U.S. Representative who represents the area where HFA families are being served and your two U.S. Senators. You will be sending an email to their scheduler and/or staff person who handles children and families’ issues.
Find your members
Use this link to find your member of Congress.
You can contact them either:
- Through their website,
- Or, call their office and ask for the scheduler’s email address.
Email Template
Below is suggested email language to use for your meeting request. We encourage you to adapt it to sound like you!
Dear [insert staff name]:
My name is [insert name] and I am the [insert title] of [insert organization name] in [city, state]. I am reaching out to request a meeting with you to discuss the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
[insert some information about your organization, your HFA site, and the children and families you serve]
In addition to sharing more about our evidence-based home visiting program [or programs] and the families we serve in [insert state, county or community], I would like to discuss the importance of the upcoming MIECHV reauthorization and how we believe the program can be strengthened to better support families and children in [insert state].
I am available to meet on [insert available dates]. Please let me know your availability. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Next Steps
We’re here to help you prepare!
Want to contact us?
Interested in learning more about our home visiting programs or helping transform childhoods and communities? Get in touch—we’ll respond as quickly as we can.