Item 2: GAVA's suggestions for ECC meeting accessibility — original pdf

Backup

Comment submitted by Laura Olson at Go Austin Vamos Austin (GAVA) to the Early Childhood Council in August 2026 1 Regarding Item 5 on the August 8 Early Childhood (EC) Council agenda, in consideration of ideas for making meetings more accessible and welcoming for community members, first we thank you for bringing this forward. We are in support of Item 5 and would like to offer a couple of ideas to the EC Council as they review this item: 1. Language Access: Not only offering interpretation support for public comment in meetings, but also interpretation during the meeting as well as translated agendas in at least, Spanish, but potentially in Arabic, Vietnamese, and Burmese as well. This can greatly support an environment of inclusion and participation. 2. Create quarterly brief graphics/brief communications to be shared out via City of Austin as well as SX6 and other community-based partners in inclusive language/vocabulary that describes the purpose of EC Council, how it looks to participate as a community member, and when upcoming meetings will be. 3. Consider shifting to an evening meeting cadence or rotation of morning/evening since daytime meetings more often exclude EC providers and families. 4. Consider instructional communication materials that outline how to sign up to listen in and/or to provide public comment at EC Council. A short instructional video shared out quarterly might work well for this. APH has done this in the past with some covid education and this may be a good model for how to do this in multiple languages. Each council member could be asked to push these out as well. 5. Regular posts and communications that share what is coming up on the EC Council agenda that highlights opportunities to give input and advise the EC Council or to be present to hear important updates from city partners. Each council member could be asked to push these out as well. 6. Consider who is serving on the EC Council and what it could look like when openings come up to nominate an EC provider or parent to represent on the EC Council for increased diversity and equity on the council. 2 7. Review agendas with a lens of inclusivity and accessibility to reduce jargon and provide a glossary of terms to create shared language and understanding. 8. Review of the City of Austin Equity Assessment tool by all EC Council members and reflect together on how that could inform EC Council member knowledge of our city while layering over that early childhood priorities and informed reflection on how this commission conducts meetings and advises City Council (video here if helpful). 9. Build into EC Council agendas regular presentations and reports from grassroots organizations and directly-impacted community providers and caregivers supported by City of Austin EC investments, not just institutional partners reporting in updates. 10. Create meeting space for collective celebration of key COA EC policy and investment wins secured through community and EC Council collaboration and influence upon City Council decisions. 11. Create space in agendas to talk about accountability as EC Council, not only to council members but also to community and what does it look like for each EC Council representative to both attend meetings while also engaging with the district they represent to home in on key issues and establish two-way communication with the EC council.