Our Advocacy for Children

Throughout the month of August, we collaborated with partners, advocates, and families to ensure that the most pressing needs of children and families across the country remain top-of-mind for lawmakers. Here are some of the ways we advocated for children and their families this month:

 Child Health:  CDF-Texas urged Congress to enact a federal fix to the Medicaid coverage gap that currently leaves 5.2 million people, three in four of whom are people of color, without health insurance in the state. Learn more.

 Child Nutrition:  We shared an infographic that underscores our call to Congress to advance racial equity by making universal school meals permanent. Learn more.

 Education Justice:  We highlighted research that confirms out-of-school suspensions harm students and continue to disproportionately impact Black students and students living with disabilities. Learn more.

 Immigrant Children:  Twenty-five years after Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was established, we brought awareness to the racist and anti-immigrant roots of the program and called on lawmakers to lift the bar on immigrant restrictions to public benefits. Learn more.

 Child Poverty:  We updated our answers to frequently asked questions about the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) in order to ensure all families have the most current and relevant information they need to access the benefit. Learn more.

 Child Nutrition:  We celebrated the Biden administration's historic expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which permanently raises benefit levels for the first time in more than 45 years, as a win for the nearly a quarter of all children in this country who rely on SNAP to access nutritious meals. Learn more.

 Child Welfare:  We shared a report authored by a cohort of young adults who have experienced the foster care system which includes recommendations for how Congress can best support young people impacted by the child welfare system. Learn more.

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Save the Date: 30th Annual National Observance of Children's Sabbaths® Celebration

During the weekend of October 15-17, 2021, we're inviting places of worship from across the country to join us in a multi-faith Children's Sabbath weekend of focused prayers, worship, education programs, and action to address the urgent problems facing our nation's children. Explore the resources below and make a plan to join us in celebration of Children's Sabbaths. Learn more.

Child Watch Roundup

In a Child Watch column published this month, Marian Wright Edelman celebrated what would have been author Alex Haley's 100th birthday and reflected on the indelible impression that Roots left on a generation—and the lessons we can continue to learn from that work today. Read the column.