Today, Daisy Stanley is a Parent Partner with the Boston Public Schools and a member of Strategies for Children’s Advocacy Network. But her advocacy work began four years ago, when she set out to ensure that her son and daughter had the support they needed to thrive in their preschool and school settings. 

Stanley joined the parents council at Horizons for Homeless Children where her son was enrolled. 

“Horizons was where advocacy really started to develop for me,” Stanley recalls. “I joined Parents Council there.” 

A Horizons staffer told her about Strategies for Children’s 9:30 Call, and she began attending. 

“I think I’ve been naturally doing advocacy. I’ve always raised concerns, even about small things. When I was in shelter, I had to advocate for some of the women to be treated more fairly.”

“At Horizons, I mentioned how they could improve on a few things. And one staff member said to me, Oh, you’re a high-expectation parent. And I was taken aback, because I thought, Aren’t you? We care, right? At that moment, I realized that a lot of parents just don’t speak up.

“Given the fact that people are in shelter, people are probably afraid of losing their opportunities for housing and sometimes people just don’t have the capacity to show up, because they’re trying to get children to school, they’re looking for housing, they’re trying to work.”

But Stanley spoke up. 

And she kept advocating for her children.

“I’ve realized that if I had given up, we wouldn’t have what we have today.” 

“You know what I learned about Advocacy? People assume that advocacy is complaining or being rude, but it’s not that. Advocacy is speaking up for things you believe in that can not only be beneficial for you, but for a whole community.” 

Building Advocacy Skills 

We asked Stanley where her courage comes from. 

“I just believe in change,” she says. 

“I believe that something can be done, and the worst that could happen is it doesn’t happen right away. I’m very optimistic. I might not get the door open today, but if I keep knocking a little bit harder, it might open down the line.”

Building on her joyful optimism, Stanley has participated in a number of training programs. At Vital Village Networks, she participated in programs on social justice mediation and in a Community Leadership and Advocacy certificate program. 

She is also the Co-Chair of the Family Advisory Council in the Mayor’s Office of Housing in Boston.

“Being around like-minded people who care about the world makes you see that the world is not a terrible place. Everybody is out here doing what they can.”

“We’ve realized that all of our work is intertwined…
it all fits together. We’re puzzle pieces fitting together,
and that has been beautiful.”

Stanley has had a similar experience as a member of the Advocacy Network.

“We’ve realized that all of our work is intertwined. Somebody’s focused on mental health. I’m working on family engagement and helping parents understand the importance of advocacy. Somebody else wants educators to learn more languages to be able to communicate with children who speak different languages. And we’ve realized that even though we’re doing different work, it all fits together. We’re puzzle pieces fitting together, and that has been beautiful.”

Helping families find their voice

As a Parent Partner with Boston’s public schools, Stanley works with playgroup leaders in small classrooms educating parents about school readiness. 

“What I’ve found is that a lot of parents in marginalized communities don’t know the importance of their voice, and they don’t know the first steps about how to advocate. I want to dismantle that.”

Stanley wants public schools with Parent Councils to include advocacy training during meetings. Parents should also know, she says, that in addition to making things better at the school level, parents can also become advocates who speak up about food insecurity, affordable child care, health care and housing. 

“Parents don’t have to be vocal like me. They can share their testimonies by writing a statement or even emailing their state officials to share their stories; that can make a difference.”

To gauge parents’ interest in advocacy, Stanley is launching a survey. 

“The next step would be meeting with BPS leaders to have a conversation about how we could integrate advocacy training into Parents Councils. We could do mock sessions along the way to help parents put what they learn into action.”

“It’s a big project. But like I said, I’m very optimistic.”

Among the key lessons that Stanley wants parents to learn is the importance of knowing their rights, building relationships, and getting to know leaders such as state legislators.

“Find out about the people in power who can make the change,” she says. “Don’t just call someone and say, I don’t like this. Demanding something from people you don’t know can be a turn off.” 

Her advice for people who are deeply frustrated with public policy? 

“ It can be frustrating, but doing some of your own inner work can make frustration easier to process. I believe in affirming someone and what they think is right. Then I want to be able to give parents strategies on how to get their point across.”

Looking Forward

We asked Stanley if she’s had an aha moment during her time in the Advocacy Network, and she said: 

“All of the people in powerful positions have a story. And we have a story, and we can take up space, too. We all need each other. So the aha moment is: I don’t have to do this work alone; I don’t need to be afraid to ask someone for support or help.”

What could future success look like based on Stanley’s advocacy work? 

“ A lot more parents being agents of change. A lot of parents at the State House. A lot of parents making time to speak up and showing up in rooms that they feel like they’re not supposed to be in. A lot more voters. 

“I’ve been to the State House a few times, but it’s disheartening to hear other parents say they didn’t know they were allowed to go be in the State House. The fact that parents don’t even know that the State House is our house is concerning to me.” 

Stanley’s advice for people who are nervous? 

“It’s okay to be nervous. I get nervous, but I know that my nervousness has to be the lesser thing compared to the problem I’m speaking about. The more you speak up the easier it will become.” 

As she thinks about the future, Stanley says she would like to run for office, starting with Boston’s City Council. Currently, Stanley is a volunteer with Latoya Gayle’s campaign for a state Senate seat. And learning even more about campaigns is another part of Stanley’s Advocacy Network project. 

“I’m getting the experience that I need to run for office,” Stanley says. “I don’t know when that will be, maybe in four years. But I’m in the process of getting the courage, getting the exposure, and deciding if this is really the way I want to go. 

“I think I can do it. I know I have it in me to stand up for people. And I know that change will come.”