Toolkit Update

[Raina Giorno]

NEWToolkit Section! CMQCC has released an addendum to the Supporting Vaginal Birth Toolkit. This brand-new content provides additional evidence-based tools and resources to effectively integrate midwifery care and doula support into the hospital setting and how to best support those who transfer to the hospital from a community birth setting. There is an emphasis on birth equity and team-based care to improve outcomes for all birthing people. This supplemental section was developed with a Task Force of hospital and community-based midwives and doulas, along with a patient advocate, nurses, and physicians.

Complete with this added content, the toolkit is available for anyone to download after logging into CMQCC's website. If you do not already have a CMQCC Account, you will need to complete a brief survey to initialize an account.

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) and CMQCC have partnered on consumer education campaign My Birth Matters to educate low-risk, first-birth mothers about the overuse of c-sections and encourage meaningful conversations between patients and their care team.

The campaign includes four animated videos, a consumer-facing My Birth Matters webpage and print materials. Our Communications Toolkit (ZIP) for providers contains a background document with top-level messaging, newsletter snippets, and sample social media posts, as well as graphics and images for you to use.

Funding for the development of the Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans and the Collaboratives to Support Vaginal Birth were generously provided by the California Health Care Foundation.

The PDIAtoolkit draws from two key resources. The first is the Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action book which is available as a free download and the second is a set of short videos explaining the key concepts of PDIA.

The toolkit has eight sections. Each section introduces a new concept and has one or more worksheets which are the tools to help you try PDIA for yourself. All the tools are dynamic and should be reviewed and adapted on a regular basis.

A small but vocal group is driving the current flood of book bans in school and public libraries across the country. It's important to counter those voices by uniting in support of the freedom to read in your local community. How can you and your community unite against book bans? We've put together this action toolkit to help you get started.

Below are a set of talking points which should be customized to reflect your own voice. These can be tailored to talk about a specific book that is being challenged or used more generally to oppose book bans. The points can be used for writing a letter to your local school or library board, your state legislators and governor, or as the basis of your public comments given to any elected bodies during their meetings. They can also be used to help you draft a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or in speaking with members of the media. All of these actions are important ways you can help have an impact on the issue of book bans.

Parents have the right to guide their children's reading, but parents should not be making decisions for other parents' children. Specifically, a small group of parents should not dictate what books other people's children are allowed to read.

Q: How do I handle difficult conversations with individuals seeking to ban books, especially parents concerned about what their kids are reading?

A: We must trust individuals to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We also believe that parents have the right to guide their children's reading and education. At the same time, individuals should not be making decisions for other readers or for other parents' children. Specifically, a small group of parents should not dictate what books other people's children are allowed to read.

Q: What if someone says that children are too young to begin reading a book that addresses sexually explicit topics?

A: We recognize that there will be disagreements over certain content. However, individuals should not be making decisions for other readers or for other parents about what is appropriate.

Services, materials, and facilities that fulfill the needs and interests of library users at different stages in their personal development are a necessary part of providing library services and should be determined on an individual basis.

Q: What if someone argues that they don't want their children being taught political views that they find objectionable, such as critical race theory?

A: School educators and librarians are professionals who are trained to not impose their own thoughts and opinions on which ideas are right, but to make knowledge and ideas available so that people have the freedom to choose what to read. Further, librarians and educators respect the rights of parents to decide which book their children are exposed to. They work closely with parents to help them decide the best books for their children.

Most book ban battles are being fought on the local level at library board, school board, and city council meetings. That makes attending these meetings one of the most critical actions you can take to fend off book bans. Make sure local officials know you support the library and access to books of all kinds by attending, listening, and speaking out against censorship.

Government and board websites often post calendars and agendas for upcoming meetings, and some also livestream them. Even if book bans or collection policies aren't on the agenda, many boards and councils allow comments on issues of concern from any community member.

Our partners at PFLAG have created a helpful guide for speaking at library and school board meetings. The below has been adapted from their Plan to Testify at Local Board Meetings guide.

Make it personal: Why does it matter to you? Does this issue affect your child? Yourself? Your community? Make sure you relate what you are asking for to a personal experience and a local need. Use your emotion to your benefit.

Public input is very important for school and library board members, trustees, and state legislators. In almost all localities, these are elected positions and many local elected officials serve in either 2- or 4-year terms. These elected officials, therefore, take the views of residents and voters seriously, and seek to represent the voices of their community.

Many state legislatures also provide an online search tool to identify who your state senator(s) and state representative(s)/delegate(s) are based on your address. Try searching congress.gov to find your state officials.

Use the talking points provided above to customize your message to these elected officials. Your letter or comments will be strongest if you are succinct, while also demonstrating your concern over book banning efforts and your connection to this issue (i.e. as a parent, as a student, as an educator, as a local business owner, as an engaged community member, as a librarian, as a reader, etc.).

You may also choose to attend your next school board or library board meeting to speak against book bans. Most websites of these local boards will include the agendas of upcoming meetings where public comment is allowed. Note that public comments during these meetings are usually limited to 2-3 minutes per speaker, so keep your remarks brief and to the point. Please remember to be respectful and refrain from making ad hominem or personal attacks against anyone who disagrees with you.

If you're involved in a local political organization, trade union, advocacy group, or another influential community organization, a candidate questionnaire is a great tool to help assess local candidates running for office and their position on book bans. Just be sure to consult federal and state election laws that may govern or limit your organization's political activity first!

We recommend sending the questionnaire as early as possible in the election cycle to all declared candidates. Set a firm deadline for their campaign to respond (ideally a minimum of six weeks prior to Election Day).

If a book challenge or attempted ban occurs in your community, one way to demonstrate widespread opposition to removal of that book is to petition the person or group that is responsible for deciding whether the book will stay on the shelves. This can be a school administrator or board, a library board, a town council, etc.

It's important to note that petitions alone are generally not enough to change the minds of decision makers. When combined with other activities, however, they can be powerful in demonstrating wide support for (or opposition to) a particular issue and growing your base of advocates.

Remember that most newspapers will limit the length of letters they choose to publish. Typically, those limits are approximately 200-300 words. Before you submit your letter, be sure to research any word limits or other submission requirements - and stick to them. When you submit your letter, be sure to include:

After you've submitted your letter, you may choose to call the newspaper to confirm your submission has been received. If you call, ask to speak to the opinion page editor. If you're able to speak to that individual or if you leave a voicemail, be courteous and respectful.

This can be a difficult issue to work on alone, so consider all of your networks and connections in your community to unite with: family, friends, organizations you're involved, etc. Research shows that opposition to book bans is widespread and you will likely find support within your community to unite against such efforts.

Efforts to censor or ban books are increasing across the nation, so it's important to be prepared in case a book challenge occurs in your community. Timely action can help prevent a ban from taking place. Mobilize your community and prevent a book ban attempt at your public library or school district by following these recommendations:

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