Publications

In 2023, the state of Minnesota made unprecedented investments in children and their families—with particular attention to addressing longstanding opportunity gaps for children growing up in Black, Indigenous and communities of color. These investments reflected a shared commitment to making Minnesota the best state in the country to be a child and raise a family—regardless of race, income, or geography.

Testimony of Julia L. Davis, Esq. Director of Youth Justice & Child Welfare Children’s Defense Fund – New York jdavis@childrensdefense.org

The COVID-19 pandemic compromised the health, safety, and stability of our children, young people, and their families and communities. It also highlighted and exacerbated longstanding inequities disparately affecting communities of color.

Children's Defense Fund has an agenda around which there should be no controversy. It should not stir debate to say that every young person in America deserves healthy food, medical care, a high-quality education, and the ability to play safely on playgrounds.

In 2023, we launched the CDF-NY Whole Child, Whole Community Movement, because we know that to have thriving children, youth, and families requires having thriving communities. To have thriving communities requires holistic support to meet the full needs of all marginalized children, youth, young adults, and families in their respective communities.

UNITE is a partnership of the Coalition for Homeless Youth and YouthNPower: Transforming Care at the Children’s Defense Fund-NY.

As the cost of living continues to climb, Governor Hochul can make our state more affordable – while reducing New York’s stark racial disparities in child poverty – by putting cash into the hands of her constituents through a stronger Empire State Child Credit.

Wall Street, New York, April 17, 2023 -- Elected Officials and leaders from anti-poverty, health access, anti-hunger, education, human services, and faith-based groups joined New Yorkers in protesting outside the New York Stock Exchange while House Speaker Kevin McCarthy delivered a speech outlining negotiating terms for lifting the federal debt ceiling.

We, the 70 undersigned faith-based, child advocacy, social justice, environmental health and justice advocacy, and philanthropic organizations, write to you to collectively implore you to make bold and critical investments towards combatting and ending the racial, environmental and moral crises of childhood lead exposure and poisoning in New York. As a co-founder and co-leader of Lead Free Kids New York, a growing statewide coalition of individuals, groups, and organizations working to end childhood lead exposure and poisoning in New York, the Children’s Defense Fund - New York (CDF-NY) stands alongside our partners in urging State Budget investments and policy solutions for childhood lead exposure in housing and other settings within marginalized communities.

The CDF-NY Week of Action Toolkit provides leaders like you with valuable resources to help promote the importance of advocating to our New York elected officials to pass a State budget that prioritizes marginalized children, youth, young adults, families and their communities in the areas of economic mobility, health equity, youth justice and child welfare.