When we insure our children, we ensure our future. Asking the simple question, “Does your child have health insurance?” on important school forms, is central to ensuring all children in your school district are happy, healthy and ready to learn! You can help spread the word in your community, state and across the nation by using #InsureAllChildren in your social media conversations. We invite you to join @childdefender and @AASAHQ as we help school districts across the country connect children with the health insurance they need to survive and thrive. Please find messaging and other content to share with your community in the #InsureAllChildren social media guide.

Together we can make sure all children are happy, healthy and read to learn. Let’s #InsureAllChildren

Background

Schools are in a unique position to identify and connect eligible but uninsured children to health insurance. Our goal in offering the #InsureAllChildren toolkit is to provide a framework to build community support for connecting children to health insurance through schools with a proven strategy in a simple, routine and cost effective way. Our vision is a country where every child has access to comprehensive, affordable health insurance that is easy to get and easy to keep. Children must enter school healthy and ready to learn. Visit: www.insureallchildren.org to learn more.

Key Messages

  1. Schools can help millions of children get the comprehensive, affordable health insurance they need to stay in school and keep learning.
  2. When we insure our children, we ensure our future. Students with health coverage do better in school and are more likely to graduate, be healthier and earn more as adults.
  3. In rich America 2.8 million uninsured children are eligible for health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
  4. Schools can close this gap by adding this simple question to annual enrollment forms: "Does your child have health insurance?"
  5. With a parent’s permission, schools can follow up and offer application and enrollment assistance. Everyone benefits, and most of all the child with a healthy start.

General

  • Write short, clear and concise social media posts that are easy for others to share; include links to drive your networks to relevant content.
  • Incorporate shortened links to the toolkit (www.insureallchildren.org) within each post to ensure it’s shared with others.
  • Include compelling graphics, video and stories in your posts.
  • Use at most three hashtags per post on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
  • Spread your messages throughout the day so people in different time zones and on different schedules can see your posts.

Twitter

  • Remember Twitter allows only 140 characters per post, so posts should be short and snappy.
  • Wherever possible use #InsureAllChildren in all posts related to enrolling children in health insurance.
  • Find opportunities to engage in Tweet Chats around enrolling children in health insurance — especially homeless and undocumented youths.
  • Be aware that key times to engage are August and September when school begins and during open health enrollment November 1 - January 31.
  • Ask your local schools, health organizations, health professionals, school nurses, athletic coaches, family and community liaisons, district communications staff, school social workers, student support services representatives, school board members, and parents and other caregivers in your school district to share about the #InsureAllChildren toolkit, start following them and “@mention” them in relevant posts.
  • Retweet #InsureAllChildren posts, including those from the @ChildDefender and @AASAHQ Twitter accounts.

Facebook

  • Remember, Facebook posts should be concise and to the point. Including graphics or video makes the post more shareable.
  • Ask your local schools, health organizations, health professionals and paraprofessionals, and others in your school district to become a fan of your Facebook page, and share posts about school health enrollment and other relevant information to help enroll uninsured children in health insurance.
  • Share the #InsureAllChildren toolkit with your networks so they can share information about health insurance enrollment opportunities with families.
  • Become a Facebook fan of the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and share posts related to enrolling uninsured children in health insurance.

LinkedIn

  • Share ideas about identifying and enrolling uninsured children in health insurance to ensure children are happy, healthy and ready to learn.
  • Visit AASA, The School Superintendents Association’s LinkedIn group and join conversations using #InsureAllChildren.

HELPFUL TIP:
Don’t forget to use shortened links to the toolkit (www.insureallchildren.org) when sharing your posts. Use a URL shortener like ow.ly or bit.ly

Hashtags (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

#InsureAllChildren
#Enroll365
#GetCovered
#InsureKidsNow
#Medicaid
#CHIP
#KidsCoverage

Sample Social Media Messages

Twitter

Promote and Educate

1. If a simple question could save a child's life, wouldn't you want to ask it? #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

2. Does your child have health insurance? This simple question from schools can make all the difference. #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz(

3. Healthy students do better in school. Close the #AchievementGap #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

4. NEW Toolkit from @ChildDefender & @AASAHQ explains how schools can #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

5. #InsureAllChildren: Schools keep students happy, healthy and ready to learn. http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

6. #InsureAllChildren matter. #MarianWrightEdelman and @AASADan explain. http://ow.ly/fOwf303ivTq

7. Attention #EdLeaders. Is the #InsureAllChildren toolkit on your #BacktoSchool checklist? http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

8. 2.8M children are eligible but not enrolled in #Medicaid or #CHIP. Schools can help #InsureAllChildren. http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

9. When it comes to student health — every school's vision should be to #InsureAllChildren. http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

Build Support

DYK?
is short for Did You Know?

1. Students do not come in pieces. Support #TheTotalChild. #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

2. School districts worked w/ @cdfca & @CDFTexas to help #InsureAllChildren. Learn more. http://ow.ly/gniM303CGRL

3. Step 1: Identify Uninsured Children Step 2: Link Them to Insurance Step 3: #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/mkDH303CGSO

4. How many of the 2.8 million eligible but uninsured children are in YOUR district? #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/KZXp303CLUk

5. More than ___ children in our community lack health insurance. @(school district handle) can lower this number. #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

6. DYK: Schools can play a critical role connecting children & families to #Medicaid/#CHIP? #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/QqNa303CGPz

7. Q: Why should schools and community agencies partner? A: To #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/OXIy303CGVP

8. Schools can help immigrant students connect to health insurance. Check out the #InsureAllChildren toolkit http://ow.ly/mkDH303CGSO

Share a Story

1. When his dad lost his job, Brandon lost his health insurance. How did @TeamHISD step in? #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/OKVH303iwcJ

2. District Spotlight: How @Edinburgcisd helped employees insure their children http://ow.ly/IBxq303CGZe #InsureAllChildren

3. District Spotlight: See how @TeamHISD is "Redefining Success" http://ow.ly/XIgf303CMc1 #InsureAllChildren

Facebook

Copy and paste the below messages into your posts. Click on the Facebook Icon for easy sharing.

Promote and Educate

1. If a simple question could save a child's life, wouldn't you want to ask it?

Having health insurance makes a huge difference for children in school. Schools can make a huge difference by identifying uninsured students and connecting them to health insurance. The key is asking a simple question on school enrollment forms. Make this part of your back-to-school plans this year.

The Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association are excited to offer proven strategies, tips and tools to schools districts across the country. The #InsureAllChildren toolkit shares real school stories and experiences and offers useful tools for ensuring all children in your school are happy, healthy and ready to learn. Check out the toolkit now. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

2. A school is a special place — where good things should happen not by chance, but by design. How can schools ensure every child in the classroom is physically and emotionally healthy? It starts with a simple question and the #InsureAllChildren toolkit. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

HELPFUL TIP:
Here is a tutorial for the U.S. Census Tool to help estimate uninsured children in your district.

3. When children are healthy, they do better in school. And the converse is true. Children with a toothache, or needing glasses won’t perform to their potential. Keeping children healthy and in the classroom can start with a simple question and the #InsureAllChildren toolkit. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

4. Psst. It’s here. #InsureAllChildren toolkit shares lessons learned from school administrators helping eligible but uninsured children enroll in health insurance. Find helpful tools, tips and proven strategies learned from school districts and communities that are ensuring their classrooms and neighborhoods are filled with happy, healthy children who are ready to learn! http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

5. Schools can act now to keep children healthy and in school learning. ​The #InsureAllChildren toolkit is a must-see resource for school and community leaders, child advocates and parents. It is not a roadmap, but a clear set of steps, useful tools and lessons learned from school districts and communities already engaged in insuring all children to ensure the future. Get started today. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

6. Do you want to make a huge difference for children in your schools? It starts with this simple question. The Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, offer lessons learned with 15 urban, suburban, and rural school districts to create a proven strategy for enrolling uninsured but eligible children in health insurance. Find helpful tools and tips in the #InsureAllChildren toolkit. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

7. “There are simple solutions we can leverage right now to transform learning. One of them is making sure that eligible students have health insurance.”
- Daniel A. Domenech, Executive Director, AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

CDF and AASA have launched health coverage initiatives in 15 school districts large and small, urban and rural in California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to identify and enroll eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP. Now the lessons learned are in the #InsureAllChildren toolkit. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

8. Are you ready to start a health enrollment program in your school district? Don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry — there’s no need to start from scratch. The Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, along with 15 urban, suburban and rural districts across the country have already laid the groundwork. Find helpful tools and lessons learned in the CDF/AASA school-based health enrollment toolkit, #InsureAllChildren. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

Sign up to learn more. Engage with the #InsureAllChildren community during Twitter Chats and Twitter Storms.

9. Attention school leaders! Is the #InsureAllChildren toolkit on your Back-to-School checklist?

Sick children cannot learn. Despite incredible progress nearly 4.5 million children in rich America remain uninsured today; the majority are school-aged children. Six of ten uninsured children (2.8 million) are eligible but not enrolled in #Medicaid or #CHIP. Schools can make a huge difference by identifying uninsured children and families and connecting them to the health coverage they need to be happy, healthy and ready to learn.

The #InsureAllChildren toolkit, a joint offering from the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, shares lessons for school and community leaders to build successful campaigns to connect children to health insurance through schools. #InsureAllChildren to ensure the future. Sign up to learn more. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

10. DYK: More than 60 percent of uninsured children in the U.S. are eligible for health coverage through #Medicaid and #CHIP and just need help accessing it. Join the Children’s Defense Fund, AASA, The School Superintendents Association and school districts across the country to help #InsureAllChildren! Find out what you can do to help http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

Build Support

Amplify your reach — tag the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association Facebook pages in your posts about #InsureAllChildren.

1. Attention School Leaders! Learn how you can use your power to ensure all children have access to health insurance through the #InsureAllChildren toolkit for schools, developed in partnership by the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Learn more http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

2. DYK: [Number from U.S. Census Tool] children are uninsured [Your School District]? To survive and thrive, all children need access to comprehensive, affordable health insurance that is easy to get and easy to keep. The #InsureAllChildren toolkit offers lessons learned from urban, rural and suburban public school districts. Let’s use this model together to help get our children enrolled in health insurance. Will you help? http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

3. It’s official! The Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association have launched their health insurance toolkit, which gives schools the resources they need to enroll all eligible children in health insurance. Explore the toolkit http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #InsureAllChildren.

4. Do you know how many children are eligible but uninsured in your school district? Use the #InsureAllChildren toolkit to find out. #InsureAllChildren sets the stage for school districts to partner with community agencies to identify and enroll eligible students in health insurance through a proven strategy in a simple, routine and sustainable way. When we insure our children, we ensure our future. http://ow.ly/jMTi303CH0v

HELPFUL TIP:
Tag a school system leader you follow on Facebook in this post.

5. DYK: More than 60 percent of uninsured children in the U.S. are eligible for health coverage through #Medicaid and #CHIP and just need help enrolling? Join the Children’s Defense Fund, AASA, The School Superintendent’s Association and school districts across the country to help #InsureAllChildren now. Spread the word http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

6. Have you heard about the “Insure All Children” toolkit from the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association? Schools and communities will find proven strategies to enroll eligible but uninsured children in health insurance. Together we can #InsureAllChildren in every school district in every state across the country. http://ow.ly/2hNz303CGOu

Share a story

1. When his father lost his job, Brandon lost his health insurance. See how the school stepped in to ensure he was happy, healthy and ready to learn. http://ow.ly/OKVH303iwcJ #InsureAllChildren

2. The heart surgery 12-year-old Evelyn needed to replace the faulty valve that caused a debilitating heart condition, would not have happened without the school nurse providing information to help with insurance applications. Read Evelyn’s story http://ow.ly/qN2n303CI65 #InsureAllChildren

3. Martin arrived in California as an unaccompanied minor w/out health insurance. His nomadic journey across America included violence, poverty and separation from his family. See how the school helped Martin to create a better life for himself and his family. Read Martin’s story http://ow.ly/hX2H303CI8w

LinkedIn

Copy and paste the below messages into your posts. Click on the LinkedIn Icon for easy sharing.

Promote and Educate

1. If a simple question could save a child's life, wouldn't you want to ask it? Having health insurance makes a huge difference for children in school. Schools can make a huge difference by identifying uninsured students and connecting them to health insurance. CDF and AASA are excited to offer proven strategies, tips and tools in the #InsureAllChildren toolkit. http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

2. AASA, The School Superintendents Association, in partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund, will launch “Insure All Children,” a health enrollment toolkit to help schools identify and enroll uninsured but eligible children in health insurance. Sign up today and help us spread the word to ensure students are happy, healthy and ready to learn in your community. #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

3. Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman and AASA, The School Superintendents Association Executive Director Dan Domenech speak about the importance of ensuring all children have health insurance. Watch this important video and learn how your community can join efforts to #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/fOwf303ivTq

HELPFUL TIP:
Don’t forget to tag CDF and AASA Facebook pages in your post.

4. Do you know how many students in your school district are uninsured? The Children’s Defense Fund, in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association offer a toolkit designed to help school districts identify and enroll uninsured children in health insurance so they can thrive in school. Sign up now to help #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

5. Pssst. It’s here. Insure All Children, a toolkit developed in partnership by the Children’s Defense Fund and AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Learn how businesses and community partners can help schools identify and enroll uninsured children in the health insurance that they need to thrive in school and in life. Help #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

Build Support

1. Pssst. It’s here. The Children’s Defense Fund, in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association, offers the Insure All Children health enrollment toolkit. It’s a guide to help school districts across the country identify and enroll uninsured children in health insurance that will help keep them happy, healthy and ready to learn. Get started today http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

2. Are there uninsured students in your community? Adding this simple question can make a huge difference to #InsureAllChildren in your school district. Learn how school and community partnerships can insure children to ensure the future. http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

3. “Does your child have health insurance?” — Adding this question to school registration materials can impact millions of children. #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/dKRZ303CGQJ

4. Schools are in a unique position to identify and connect eligible but uninsured children to health insurance. Establishing partnerships in the community is essential to the success of any school-based health enrollment program. Learn how you can help schools in your community keep students happy, healthy and ready to learn. #InsureAllChildren http://ow.ly/P5VA303CJKO

Share a story

1. When his father lost his job, Brandon lost his health insurance. See how the school stepped in to ensure he was happy, healthy and ready to learn. http://ow.ly/OKVH303iwcJ #InsureAllChildren

2. The heart surgery 12-year-old Evelyn needed to replace the faulty valve that caused a debilitating heart condition, would not have happened without the school nurse providing information to help with insurance applications. Read Evelyn’s story http://ow.ly/WpuT303CIfh #InsureAllChildren

3. Martin arrived in California as an unaccompanied minor w/out health insurance. His nomadic journey across America included violence, poverty and separation from his family. See how the school helped Martin to create a better life for himself and his family. Read Martin’s story http://ow.ly/qNuN303CIgv

Graphics & Video

Click the links below for a complete list of available graphics and video. Remember you will need to "Right-Click" on graphics to download.

The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. 

CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor children, children of color and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investments before they get sick, drop out of school, get into trouble or suffer family breakdown. 

CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by individual donations, foundation, corporate and government grants.

AASA, the School Superintendents Association, represents, works alongside, supports, and is the voice of superintendents and education leaders across the United States. Thirteen thousand strong and 151 years old, we remain committed to excellence and equity for each and every child in public schools. Leveraging our 49 state affiliates and national partners, we focus on developing school system leaders who can meet the challenges facing 21st century students and beyond.