Press Release

Education

Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson on Dept. of Education Executive Order: 'Education is still the Path to Freedom and Fairness'

Every student in America must be prepared for global workforce competition and equipped to vote, volunteer, and lift their voices in public life through stage-appropriate instruction, learning about their culture, democracy, and history.

March 21, 2025 | National
Service Announcements

CDF Welcomes Jaren Sorkow as New State Director for California

The national youth advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) has named Jaren Sorkow the new state director of its Children’s Defense Fund-California (CDF-CA) office.

March 21, 2025 | California
Child Health

CDF-Texas, Partners Respond as Trump Administration Reopens Child and Family Detention Centers in Texas

Children’s Defense Fund-Texas (CDF-Texas) and its youth and immigrant advocacy partners warn that President Donald Trump’s decision to reopen detention facilities in Texas to jail immigrant families could create an array of negative physical and mental impacts for children.

March 11, 2025 | Texas
Immigration

CDF, CDF-Texas Endorse ‘American Dream and Promise Act’ to Protect Nation’s Dreamers, Provide Path to Citizenship

Children’s Defense Fund and Children’s Defense Fund-Texas have endorsed the American Dream and Promise Act, legislation that would grant permanent protections to Dreamers, immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, as well as individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).

February 26, 2025 | Texas
Census

CDF-Ohio Finds Some Proposals in Governor’s Budget Encouraging as Data Suggests Almost 470,000 OH Youth Continue to Struggle with Poverty

Research suggests nearly half a million children in Ohio continue to suffer from the devastating impacts of poverty. The findings, which come from Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio's (CDF-Ohio) 2024 Kids Count® Data Profiles, show it would be wise for Ohio to adopt some of the youth-based budget proposals presented by Governor Mike DeWine.

February 10, 2025 | Ohio
Child Health

CDF Urges Senate to Reject RFK Jr. Nomination to Lead U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

The national youth advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund urges the United States Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to become the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

February 5, 2025 | Southern Regional Office
Child Health

Mississippi’s Refusal to Participate in Summer Food Assistance Program Hurts Youth

For the second consecutive year, Mississippi state leaders have chosen to deny vital food assistance to children and young people facing hunger during the summer months.

February 5, 2025 | Southern Regional Office
Service Announcements

Starsky Wilson becomes First Black Chair of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

On Wednesday, January 29, Children’s Defense Fund President and Chief Executive Officer, Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, assumed the gavel as chair of the Board of Trustees for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). He was elected to the role in July 2024, after serving as a trustee since January 2022. He chaired the Nominating and Governance Committee for the last year.

February 4, 2025 | National
Child Health

NEW: Georgetown University Study Shows Proposed Federal Medicaid Cuts Could Have Extreme Impact on Children in Rural Texas

The study found nearly one in three rural children in Texas depend on Medicaid. More than 239,000 children in Texas’ small towns rely on Medicaid/CHIP coverage.

January 16, 2025 | Texas
National Leaders join Children’s Defense Fund Board

Children’s Defense Fund, the nation’s premiere child advocacy organization, has elected five new members to its governing Board of Directors, beginning in January 2025.

January 16, 2025 | National