National

  • Child Health

    Children’s Defense Fund Responds to President Biden’s Build Back Better Framework

    “President Biden’s framework brings us one step closer to a historic, essential, and long-overdue investment in our country’s children and families. We’re poised to boost families’ economic stability and reduce racial inequities in income, housing, education, and health care that harm Black and brown children every day. We appreciate the countless child advocates, parents, friends in the White House, and champions in Congress who have fought for decades to bring us to this point."

    | National
  • Education

    Don’t Put Youth Education in Handcuffs Too!

    Youth are still growing and learning at such a young age. They should not be subjected to such a harsh punishment because that affects them long-term. Placing them in juvenile detention centers does more damage especially when these centers are not equipped to truly help them on their educational journey.

    | National
  • Child Welfare

    This Month, Act to Fund Care Not Cages

    Continued reliance on institutional placements puts our nation’s children—especially Black children—at risk of lasting harm to their health, development, and well-being. Congress must prioritize effective community-led, family-focused, youth-centered programs to ensure young people have the resources and supports they need to thrive within their families and communities.

    | National
  • Youth Justice

    CDF-NY Pushes for Criminal Record Sealing This Month

    Criminal convictions create life-long barriers to employment, housing, and education that directly impact the conditions for children and families. Clean Slate is a crucial step toward racial and economic justice, addressing some of the deep racial disparities that are evident at every stage of the criminal legal system, and providing pathways to more full participation in our neighborhoods and communities, which is essential to the well-being of children, youth, and families.

    | National
  • Child Poverty

    CDF Joins Call to Extend USDA's Nationwide Waiver Authority to Ensure Child Nutrition Programs Can Continue to Operate

    USDA's authority to provide a nationwide waiver, even if it increases program costs, is set to expire on September 30, 2021. We, the undersigned organizations, ask Congress to extend USDA’s nationwide waiver authority to September 30, 2022 to ensure they have the flexibility needed to respond to the pandemic and ensure that the federal child nutrition programs continue to operate and provide healthy snacks and meals to the students who need them.