Children’s Health and Healing
Promise
All young people enjoy regular, nourishing meals and active lives,
marked by positive social adjustment, sustainable environments, and
healthcare homes for their bodies and minds.
Problem
10.7 million young people live in food-insecure households. In 2021,
more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, 4.4 million children were uninsured in the United States.
Policy Path
In this zone, CDF will advocate for public policy related to: (1) Child Nutrition and Food Security, (2) Youth Mental Health and Social Emotional Wellness, (3) Healthcare coverage, and (4) Environmental justice.
Moonshot Generational Commitment
Ensure permanent, universal free school meals and children’s physical and mental health coverage.
Learn MoreRelated Updates
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For Our Children: Honoring Juneteenth by Asserting the Freedom to Read
On June 19, 1865, Union troops delivered the news to enslaved people in Galveston, TX, that they were free. But this “news” wasn’t exactly new.…
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Statement: Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio Remembers the Legacy of Brigid Kelly
Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio is saddened to learn of the passing of its friend and former Advisory Board member Brigid Kelly. Brigid died Tuesday evening after a two-year battle with cancer. …
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Education Equity
CDF-Ohio State of School Discipline Report 2024
This report describes the state of exclusionary school discipline practices in Ohio as a contributing factor to the community to prison pipeline.…
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Child Poverty
Children’s Defense Fund Statement on 2024 State of the Union
Last night, President Biden presented a vision for building a nation where all children can thrive, from crucial interventions to provide children and youth with high-quality early learning experiences to economic and community interventions that create conditions for young people to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. …