National

  • Child Poverty

    Be Careful What You Cut

    Some years ago, the award-winning agency Fallon Worldwide created a series of ads for a pro bono Children’s Defense Fund campaign called “Be Careful What You Cut” that warned sharply against budget choices threatening programs on which children and families rely.

    | National
  • National

    Tell Congress Hands Off Basic Needs Programs Our Children Rely On

    Children's Defense Fund is sounding the alarm as Congress considers devastating cuts to the very programs that keep young people and their families fed, housed, healthy, and safe. We need every advocate, caregiver, and concerned community member to take immediate action.

    May 15, 2025

  • Honoring Mother’s Day

    On this Mother’s Day weekend I share again special prayers for all mothers and all those who are tirelessly sowing seeds of life and hope for the future.

    | National
  • 100 Days...and Counting

    Last week, the Trump Administration marked its first 100 days. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first 100 days of a presidential administration have been measured as an indicator of either anxieties or celebrations to come for the country. As child advocates, we had little to celebrate.

    | National
  • Education

    Teacher Appreciation

    Every year, the first full week of May is a chance to show special gratitude and thanks to America’s teachers. This year Teacher Appreciation Week comes at a moment when the nation’s Department of Education itself is under attack.

    | National
  • Education

    A Legacy of Young Changemakers

    This month marked a Civil Rights Movement anniversary: the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in April 1960.

    | National
  • Charity

    CDF’s National A Celebration of Joy 2025

    Come ready to be moved, to celebrate with purpose, and to stand in joyful solidarity for the next generation. Because all young people must grow up with dignity, hope, and joy—surrounded by love and supported by a community that believes in them.

    November 5, 2025

    National
  • Conference

    2025 American Youth Policy Forum, Powered by CDF

    This forum will bring together key policymakers, advocates, educators, and CDF staff. Together, we will discuss how national, state, and local policies can better serve young people, particularly those marginalized by systemic inequities

    November 5-6, 2025

    National
  • Transforming the Road

    “A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside, but that will be only an initial act."

    | National