National Parents’ Day LTE TEMPLATES 2025

Guidelines:

• Adapt the below template to craft a letter to the editor (LTE) of a leading news outlet in your community. 

• Limit your LTE to 150-250 words or check the news outlet’s LTE guidelines online for an exact word limit and the best way to submit the LTE 

• Make clear that there’s broad support for investing in child care, nutrition or foreign aid (or whatever specific policy priority you are highlighting) 

• Include a clear statement on the problem at hand, and a call to action 

• Include your personal story and why it has made you a strong advocate  

• Include your name, city and daytime phone number 

• Contact Louisa Spofford at lspofford@savechildren.org if you have questions 

Template 1: for parents and caregivers 

This Sunday’s National Parents’ Day is a time to celebrate the love and labor that go into raising a child. But as a parent, I’ll be honest: What I really need isn’t praise. I need our elected officials to do what they can to help parents like me support our kids. 

[ADD A PERSONAL ANNECDOTE, FOR EXAMPLE: I remember one summer when my kids were out of school and I was juggling two part-time jobs. The school lunch program had ended, child care was too expensive, and I found myself skipping meals so my kids didn’t have to. Programs like SNAP and Summer EBT are what helped us get through.] [CUT IF INCLUDING THIS REFERENCE MAY MAKE IT MORE LIKELY FOR THE NEWS OUTLET TO REJECT THE LETTER: That’s why I now volunteer with Save the Children Action Network.] 

Too many parents are still barely making it. We need Congress to [ADD A CALL TO ACTION, FOR EXAMPLE: fund Summer EBT and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program so kids have food and safe places to go]. [CONSIDER ADDING, IF COMFORTABLE: We should also protect foreign aid that saves children around the world from hunger and crisis, because every child deserves the same chance to grow.] 

On Parents’ Day, let’s do more than thank parents. Let’s support them by putting kids and families first in every budget decision. 

Template 2: for grandparents 

On National Parents’ Day, I think about [CUSTOMIZE, FOR EXAMPLE: my daughter and son-in-law, doing everything they can to give their kids a good life]. I also think about how much harder parenting has become, and how much families are being asked to do without real support. 

[ADD A PERSONAL ANNECDOTE, FOR EXAMPLE: When my daughter went back to work after having her second child, she couldn’t afford child care. For six months, I stepped in full-time so they could stay afloat. I was proud to help, but I also saw how systems fail families who are doing everything right.] 

[CUT IF INCLUDING THIS REFERENCE MAY MAKE IT MORE LIKELY FOR THE NEWS OUTLET TO REJECT THE LETTER: That’s why I support Save the Children Action Network and why I’m urging Congress to act.] [CUSTOMIZE YOUR CALL TO ACTION, FOR EXAMPLE: The food assistance Summer EBT provides to kids and families across the country isn’t a handout, it’s an investment in strong families. And foreign aid helps ensure that parents around the world can also raise children in safety and health.] 

Grandparents may not be raising kids full-time, but we’re watching. We see the struggle. And we want better for [CUSTOMIZE, FOR EXAMPLE: our grandkids and their parents]. 

This Parents’ Day, I’m asking lawmakers to match parents’ efforts with real resources. [REITERATE YOUR CALL TO ACTION, FOR EXAMPLE: Opt into the federally funded Summer EBT program for 2026!] Children’s futures depend on it. 

Template 3: for everyone 

National Parents’ Day reminds us how vital parents are to their children’s success, and how much they’re expected to do without enough support. 

[CUSTOMIZE, FOR EXAMPLE: I’m not a parent myself, but I’ve been a mentor, neighbor and volunteer with Save the Children Action Network. And I’ve seen how hard families work to stay afloat. One mom I know relies on school meals to keep her son nourished. Another depends on afterschool programs so she can hold down a second job. When those supports disappear, so does stability.] 

That’s why I’m calling on Congress to step up. Parents need more than a pat on the back. They need strong investments in programs like SNAP, Summer EBT, Head Start and 21st Century Community Learning Centers. These programs ensure children are fed and safe while parents work. [ADD IF COMFORTABLE: And let’s not forget the support parents abroad need to keep their kids fed and safe through war, famine and crisis.] 

Whether you’re raising a child or supporting one, we all have a stake in their future. This Parents’ Day, let’s demand more than nice words. Let’s demand action – for every child, everywhere.