Blog

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

Education

Ohio Must Support Student Wellness and Education Equity: Creating False Choices Hurts Children and Ohio's Future

May 28, 2021 | Ohio
Child Welfare

Make your Mark: Learning to Advocate for Meaningful Policy Change

May 28, 2021 | Ohio
Child Poverty

To Build Back Better and Advance Racial Equity, Congress Must Pass a Robust Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) this Year

Children and families need ongoing support and access to healthy, nutritious meals during the pandemic and beyond. We cannot revert back to strict, outdated, and inflexible standards that leave millions of children—disproportionately Black, Latinx, and Indigenous children—behind and vulnerable to hunger. To truly build back better and advance racial equity, we must fully and finally eliminate barriers to healthy food and success for all children. Congress can—and must—begin right now and advance a bold CNR bill.

May 27, 2021 | National
Child Welfare

Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Introduces Bipartisan Mentorship Bill for Foster Youth

Mentorship provides youth with the healthy, consistent relationships that are crucial for their well-being. The Foster Youth Mentoring Act (H.R. 3083) would create a comprehensive federal grant program to provide foster youth with healthy volunteer and peer mentor relationships.

May 27, 2021 | National
Education

The Asian American Mental Health Crisis Is Older Than Covid

May 26, 2021 | Texas
Child Poverty

Immigrant Children are Children, and All Children Should Be Eligible for the Child Tax Credit

More than 1 in 4, or approximately 18 million, children in the U.S. live with at least one immigrant parent or are immigrants themselves. For children—and this nation—to flourish and prosper, we must commit to policies that reflect this demographic reality and promote all children’s well-being. Yet far too many federal poverty-fighting tools operate from a default position of immigrant exclusion, leaving too many children behind. Our leaders must lean into this opportunity to make expansions to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) permanent, accessible, inclusive, and fair.

May 26, 2021 | National
Child Poverty

Economic Security Now and in the Future: How Ohio can smooth benefits cliffs and eliminate the confidence cliff

May 24, 2021 | Ohio
Child Welfare

Foster Youth Continue Advocacy to Have Their Voices Heard

May 21, 2021 | Ohio
Education

A Recommitment to School Desegregation, 67 Years Later

This week marked 67 years since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which represents a dream yet fulfilled. On this anniversary, we continue to call for intentional desegregation to advance racial equity and improve student outcomes.

May 21, 2021 | National
Child Poverty

The Biden Administration’s Simplified Filing Tool Will Boost Participation in the Expanded CTC…If It’s Built Well

The IRS will release a simplified filing tool, which will help many of the millions of newly eligible families who are not required to file a full tax return to receive the CTC and the third Economic Impact Payment (EIP) - critical benefits to which they are entitled.

May 20, 2021 | National

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