Our Voice for Children
May 2020
Tell Your Senators: Children Need Help Right Now
On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent the Senate home on recess without taking any steps toward providing additional relief for families reeling from the COVID-19 crisis. Send your Senators an email now and tell them that lives and livelihoods are at stake, and children don't have another week to wait.
Help make sure vulnerable children will not get left behind as our country responds to this pandemic. Donate to the Children in Crisis Fund >
Policy Action for America's Children
Throughout the past month, we published a series of briefs and fact sheets outlining the steps Congress must take to protect children from extreme hardship caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Hear from our national policy team on why the following steps are urgent and critical:
Children and adults need $2,000 per month in direct cash assistance, throughout the economic downturn caused by this crisis.
The Child Tax Credit must be expanded to fight child poverty during this pandemic and beyond.
Pandemic TANF assistance is an important step to help low-income families cover rent, utilities, and other basic needs.
SNAP must be improved to help fight child hunger during and beyond this crisis.
Graduation in the Midst of a Pandemic
This graduation season looks very different from years past, and we're grateful to our teammate Lisa for sharing her son Caleb's personal story of a high school graduation so unlike the one he expected. Hear in her words why Lisa's hopeful that this year's seniors will meet the challenge of the moment with optimism and perseverance.
Advocating for All Children
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to impact just about every aspect of our lives, the Children's Defense Fund is constantly fighting to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of all our country's children—and particularly the most vulnerable. Here are some of the ways we've been looking out for children this month:
We responded to the HEROES Act passed by the House of Representatives, commending steps taken to protect children and families and highlighting some work still to be done.
CDF-Texas hosted a conversation to answer questions about the Public Charge rule and how it applies to needs that are ever more pressing due to COVID-19.
We shone a light on pediatricians' concerns that children are not receiving important vaccinations and well-child exams during the pandemic.
We strongly condemned the false choice U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presented to parents when they asked them to either waive their rights or be separated from their children.
Our state offices are also continuing to provide real-time updates and working hard to connect our communities with local resources. Visit your office's website to access state-specific information:
Child Watch Roundup
In a Child Watch column published this month, Marian Wright Edelman shared a touching poem about communal grief and never losing hope.
Catch up on the rest of Marian Wright Edelman's recent Child Watch columns:
Be sure to look for a new Child Watch column every Friday afternoon.
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