Last Chance

Next Friday, November 8, is the last chance to apply to be a CDF Freedom Schools^® sponsor organization. Are you a leader of a community-based organization, faith institution, school, college or university looking to make a difference in the lives of children in your community? Contact Ali Merfeld at (202) 662-3589 or amerfeld@childrensdefense.org to find out how. Watch a short video of the program in action.

An Evening to Remember

Children and young adult leaders filled the stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on September 30 for our 40^th Anniversary Kickoff Celebration. We found ourselves surrounded by family and friends and overcome by the shared commitment and sacrifices made to improve the lives of all children in America. Hundreds of children in rainbow-colored “I Can Make a Difference” t-shirts sang the Freedom Schools anthem, “Something Inside So Strong.” Young leaders told stories of transformation and “beating the odds” through CDF programs and practices. The power of mentoring was raised up by a delightful cello interlude from 12-year-old Malik Kofi and his mentor, world-renowned Udi Bar-David. The evening culminated with Hillary Rodham Clinton being honored by her mentor, Marian Wright Edelman, and then together recommitting to the work ahead. You too can be inspired by this unforgettable night through videos, photos, and young adult profiles and enjoy the power and inspiration of our mission in action.  

Investing Early Pays Big Dividends

CDF hit the ground running on October 1^st by co-hosting a convening on early childhood development and learning: “Investing Early in All Our Children Who Are America’s Future.” The convening brought together a diverse group with one goal: link new networks with those already actively promoting early childhood investments in communities across the country. We explored the benefits of investments in early childhood development and learning to our children’s academic and adult success and to our nation’s economic strength now and in the future. We highlighted states with quality early childhood systems in place, answered tough questions about the effectiveness of investments in early childhood and talked about how best to build public and political will to level the playing field for all children.  

CDF Board Vice Chair Lan Bentsen made the case for the business community to get behind early learning and introduced a video message from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke who stated, “Economically speaking, early childhood programs are a good investment, with inflation-adjusted annual rates of return on the funds dedicated to these programs estimated to reach 10 percent or higher. Very few alternative investments can promise that kind of return.” The business community seems to be listening.

Dr. Jerry Weast shared the success Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools experienced when it invested in quality early childhood services and education, among other improvements: it saw the highest graduation rate among the nation’s largest school districts for four consecutive years. WATCH the video of former superintendent of schools Dr. Weast share the “secrets” of the county’s success or read the Child Watch® column “Getting It Right, Right from the Start.”

Special thanks to our partner and co-host for the convening, the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University, and the generous support of McDermott Will & Emory.

Budget Shenanigans: Continued Dangers for Children

This month brought a needless government shutdown that cost our economy billions of dollars. With just hours left before the federal government defaulted on its debt and the nation spiraled into an economic meltdown, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reached an agreement that reopened the federal government and avoided the immediate risk of a federal default. The agreement reset the budget clock and required the creation of a budget conference committee. The Congressional committee will convene October 30 and must report back with longer-term deficit reduction and fiscal policy plans by December 13.

Take Action Now!  Stop Sequestration Now! This is the time to send a strong “Be Careful What You Cut” message to Congress. If the dangerous cuts from last year’s sequestration budget deal continue, we will all pay more later. Cutting children’s early childhood learning experiences increases their chance of going to prison by 39 percent. Under sequestration, 57,000 children have been cut from Head Start programs while child poverty remains at record high levels. Thousands of teachers have lost their jobs, classrooms are crowded, and children are suffering. Children have only one childhood, act now to repeal sequestration!  

Tell your member of Congress to ‘Be Careful What You Cut’! Send a message to your representatives letting them know that you support ending sequestration and promote an approach to budget negotiations that includes investments in early childhood and education that will help children and our economy, paid for by closing tax loopholes. 

Beating Guns Into Garden Tools

On October 20, Marian Wright Edelman’s call to action for the faith community at Washington National Cathedral Children’s Sabbath service was to become “the engine not the caboose” for common-sense gun safety laws. The sermon was streamed live from the Cathedral’s website. CDF partnered with the Washington National Cathedral for the 22^nd National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths. Immediately before the service, the Very Rev. Gary Hall and Marian Wright Edelman moderated the Gun Violence Prevention Forum featuring public health experts Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Thomas McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Dr. Mark Rosenberg, former assistant Surgeon General and director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Watch this video and learn how we can save child lives and reduce gun violence. Our nation’s gun violence epidemic is not inevitable. Scholars must be allowed to do the desperately needed scientific research that will help parents, policymakers and the public determine how we can all work together to stop it. The NRA cannot be allowed to continue to block the truth at the cost of so many lives. Learn how the Truth About Guns in the Home set off a chain reaction. Please share these critically important videos.  

From Maine to Hawaii, Washington state to Washington, D.C., Minnesota to Mississippi, thousands of religious congregations across the faith spectrum focused their Children’s Sabbath worship services, education programs, and activities on the theme of the weekend: “Beating Swords into Plowshares: Ending the Violence of Guns and Child Poverty.” To symbolically demonstrate the biblical prophet’s vision of ‘beating swords into plowshares’ CDF invited blacksmiths to the Cathedral grounds to pound confiscated illegal guns into garden tools. Check out photos from the event.

Reforming School Discipline

This past weekend, CDF and the AASA (The School Superintendents Association), with support from Atlantic Philanthropies, hosted an institute at CDF Haley Farm to engage 31 school superintendents from across the country on the issue of school discipline policy and practice. Superintendent leadership is especially critical in improving school discipline policies, enhancing school climate, and eliminating racial and other disparities in school discipline practice. Superintendents have the difficult task of leading students and schools toward improved academic achievement (often measured in test scores and graduation rates) and creating safer, more engaging learning environments, all while resources and time to accomplish this objective are in short supply. We know students out of school are students falling behind. We know discipline practices that repeatedly penalize some children create school climates that are inconsistent and breed contempt between students, teachers, and administrators. By coming together to discuss how to enhance school climate, the institute engaged administrators in ways to keep students in school and learning and ways to engage partners inside and outside the school and the district to advance student learning. Stay tuned for important developments.

Youth Spotlight: Holy Wow!

This month we simply couldn’t choose just one young person to highlight. Please enjoy both stories.

Next week, BET will air their annual awards program “Black Girls Rock!” and honor Marian Wright Edelman with the Humanitarian Award. We were delighted to learn they would also honor another CDF family member, Ty-Licia Hooker, former intern in our national office for Youth Leadership Development and participant in our Young Advocate Leadership Training (YALT) program. “Black Girls Rock!” will recognize Ty-Licia as one of the M.A.D. (Making a Difference) Girls. A graduate of the University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif. Ty-Licia received a degree in political science with an emphasis in education policy and ethnic studies. As an active volunteer in the community and president and founder of STORM (a community outreach program) and the Summer Success and Leadership Academy, she has influenced the lives of hundreds of at-risk youth, inspiring them to follow their dreams despite the dire circumstances that surround them. Congratulations, Ty-Licia! We are so proud of you. Tune in to B.E.T. on Sunday, November 3, at 7 p.m. EST.

On November 4, Deyon Johnson will be honored not only as an Highly Effective educator, but also one of 20 teachers in D.C. schools selected as a Rubenstein Awardee to be saluted on stage at the Kennedy Center. The event is hosted by the D.C. Public Education Fund.  Deyon has been a mentee of CDF Board Member DD Eisenberg for over 15 years. Deyon graduated from Williams College, received her master’s of education from Howard and has been teaching in the D.C. school system for several years. Much of her leadership and teaching skills were honed as a Freedom Schools Servant Leader Intern and site coordinator, and she now is the Freedom Schools curriculum coordinator. Congratulations Deyon, we are so proud of you!!