Sample Thank You Note to Member of Congress The Honorable [Jimmy Stewart] __(room number)__(name of) Senate or House Office Building United States Senate or United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 (for Senate) 20515 (for House) Dear Senator or Representative [Stewart]: Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me and Anne Smith on Thursday, April 27, 2006 [Be sure to mention who was part of the meeting and what day you met with the Senator/Congressman]. We enjoyed our discussion about reauthorizing Early Head Start [be sure to state what you discussed in your meeting] and hope that you found it useful to hear about the many ways in which Early Head Start benefits the families in our state. In answer to your question about converting Head Start slots, we verified that in our state, 2.75% of the unused Head Start slots were converted for use in Early Head Start in 2005 [Be sure to follow-up with answers to any questions you could not answer in the meeting]. This resulted in an additional 489 children under age 3 being served by Early Head Start last year. In addition, we thought you might find the enclosed article from the Herald-Tribune of interest [Consider sending the member of Congress and/or his/her staff a related newspaper article from the local paper. This can be done at another time, as a way of keeping in touch with the people you met]. It highlights the positive outcomes we are seeing as a result of the Early Head Start program across the state. As we mentioned at our meeting, we would be honored if you would consider visiting our program to learn more about the services being offered by Early Head Start [Consider inviting the member to visit your program and learn more about the work you are doing on behalf of infants and toddlers]. We will contact your scheduler to arrange a visit during your next trip home. Thank you again, and we look forward to seeing you soon. Sincerely, Jane Doe Infant Mental Health Specialist Early Head Start Danforth, New Mexico