National

  • Gun Violence

    Gun Violence Awareness Day

    The day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was running for President, appeared at a Cleveland event and said instead of talking about politics he had to speak about the “mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.”

    | National

  • Early Childhood

    Sixty Years of Head Start

    Head Start began as an eight-week summer program; it has since served nearly 40 million children and families across the United States. But today, like other basic needs programs millions of children, young people, and families rely on, Head Start has been under attack.

    | National

  • Education

    Advice for Young Graduates

    During this season I like to share some of the lessons for life I offered my own children and many of the extraordinary young graduates I’ve had the privilege of meeting over the years.

    | 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