Blog

Find our latest articles, reports, and weekly editions at Children's Defense Fund.

New York's Children Continue to Suffer from Pandemic-Driven Rise in Food Insecurity

As we enter the second half of 2021, New Yorkers continue to experience the numerous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the pandemic-fueled rise in food insecurity.

July 1, 2021 | New York
Education

The Future of Democracy: Young Voters and the 26th Amendment

July 1, 2021 | Texas
Child Health

CDF Endorses the RISE from Trauma Act

By increasing resources to prevent and respond to toxic stress and trauma, the RISE from Trauma Act is an important step in aligning our policies to promote child well-being and ensure that children are able to thrive in their communities.

June 28, 2021 | National
Child Poverty

What You Need to Know About Federal Rental Assistance

Federal rental assistance is a set of several programs—mostly administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Agriculture with support from tax credits—that help families with little or no income cover their housing costs. Our new fact sheet provides a useful primer on federal rental assistance.

June 28, 2021 | National
Youth Justice

The Juvenile Justice System Should Treat Kids Like Kids

CDF joined more than 50 organizations writing to Congress in support of this legislation to reduce children’s contact with the criminal justice system; address racial disparities in criminalization, arrests, and sentencing; and create more equitable and age-appropriate measures for those children that do encounter these systems.

June 24, 2021 | National
Child Welfare

Supreme Court Rules on Foster Care Non-Discrimination Case

While this decision did not undermine the right of state and local governments to protect children and families from taxpayer-funded discrimination, it does underscore how tenuous these protections can be. The decision is a potent reminder of how crucial it is that we pass the John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act (S.1848/ H.R. 3488) to ensure that all children and youth in the child welfare system are safe from discrimination, no matter where they live or who they love.

June 24, 2021 | National
Child Health

HB 248 endangers our thread bare public health systems and threatens child safety

June 23, 2021 | Ohio
Child Poverty

Remove Harmful, Costly SNAP Eligibility Provisions from Ohio’s Budget

June 23, 2021 | Ohio
Child Welfare

CDF Endorses the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2021

Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) have introduced the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2021 (S. 1927), which would reauthorize and amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. The Children’s Defense Fund was proud to endorse this legislation because of its significant increase in funding for prevention, its emphasis on race equity in child welfare, its overdue focus on child abuse and neglect fatalities, and the fact that the law would guarantee right to counsel for children and parents in all cases involving child abuse and neglect allegations.

June 22, 2021 | National
CDF Letter to Conference Committee Members: Let's bring it home for Ohio's children!

June 21, 2021 | Ohio

Starsky Wilson stands at a podium in front of a crowd.

Featured Blog Series

For Our Children

From the desk of President and CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, discover a new take on child well-being and advocacy. Read to learn more about shaping conversations, policies, and actions for improving the lives of our nation's children and youth.

Learn More