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Policy Updates Victory: Vital Children's Health Coverage Protected June 30, 2008 Passed (House): Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act June 25, 2008 Passed (House): Fostering Connections to Success Act June 24, 2008 News: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act Filed June 18, 2008 CDF Calls President Bush's FY09 Budget Shameful February 4, 2008

Latest News Child Welfare & Mental Health "Advancing Kinship Care" Washington Times, July 2, 2008 "Raise foster care age-eligibility to 21" The Hill, July 15, 2008 Child Health NPR compares health care for pregnant women in the U.S. and France July 10, 2008 Education "The Next Kind of Intergration" New York Times, July 20, 2008 CDF signs "A Bolder, Broader Approach" Statement Child Poverty "Edelman Renews Call to Help Poor Children" Toledo Blade, April 17, 2008 CDF Report Finds Low-Income Families Lose Billions to Predatory Commercial Tax Preparers March 26, 2008 Juvenile Justice "Investing In Our Nation's Youth" Louisiana Weekly, July 28, 2008  "Mass Incarceration of Children Must End" Huffington Post, July 3, 2008

Home > About Us > Policy Areas > Youth Development Division

Youth Development

The CDF Youth Development division works to help youth from low-income families escape the Cradle to Prison Pipeline™ crisis. 

We promote positive youth development, work to protect children from violence, and help families and communities keep their youth out of trouble.

Specifically, the CDF Youth Development division:

• monitors and collaborates with community youth programs and systems
• shares best practices among youth advocates, policy makers, and organizations with whom we work
• tracks and analyzes youth-related legislation
• studies and proposes reforms and alternatives for the juvenile justice system

We support individuals, communities, and governments in their efforts to provide:

• after-school care
• gang violence prevention
• high school dropouts
• mentoring
• substance abuse prevention
• truancy
• tutoring

Youth Development Research: Access CDF's latest reports, guides, toolkits, surveys, and fact sheets on youth development.

Children's Defense Fund
25 E Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
800-CDF-1200
(800-233-1200)
cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org