Times are hard.  The current recession has families and children struggling in unprecedented ways.  Record-breaking unemployment and deep cuts in services and supports threaten their well-being.  Help for millions of the uninsured is still unresolved. 

Throughout 2010, CDF will continue to use data and research and other advocacy tools to respond to the heavy toll the economic situation is having on our nation's children.  Next month we will release State of America’s Children^® Report 2010.  In the meantime, we want to share some good news with you and let you know how our programs and policy initiatives are contining to have a positive impact on children’s lives.

President Obama Announces New Help for Struggling Families

In his first State of the Union Address, President Obama announced important help for families struggling to ensure their young children quality child care and their older children an opportunity to attend college. Specifically, the President called for a long overdue increase in the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and we also understand that he will propose increased funding for child care subsidies, both of which will help working families with escalating child care costs.  The President’s Budget also will make college loans more affordable by limiting student loan payments to 10 percent of discretionary income and offering loan forgiveness after ten years for young people who choose to work in public service and other careers. Learn more about these proposals and what the President’s State of the Union Address means for children.

CDF-Texas Honored with Award for it's 100% Campaign!

We are delighted to announce that the work of CDF-Texas has been recognized by The Texas Association of Partners in Education, one of the largest education communities in the state, as successfully demonstrating the critical link between child health and school performance.  CDF's 100% Campaign is a partnership with Texas school districts to systematically identify uninsured children through school enrollment forms and to link eligible uninsured children with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Children’s Medicaid, or other health coverage. Texas leads the nation in the rate of uninsured children, and although more than half of these children are eligible for CHIP or Children’s Medicaid, they are not enrolled. The 100% Campaign gets children covered and educates families about how to renew coverage and to use preventive care rather than emergency room care. Last year, in partnership with the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the seventh largest school district in the nation, more than 32,000 uninsured children received assistance from the campaign in applying for health coverage.

The CDF Freedom Schools® Program Prepares for Summer 2010!

The start of the new year marks the beginning of the annual CDF Freedom Schools Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institute to prepare our local sponsor organizations to operate successful summer learning programs.  National staff will train executive directors of new sponsor organizations from February 3-5 at the CDF Alex Haley Farm in Clinton, TN.  The training will focus on program administration, curriculum, fundraising, evaluation and personnel.  Each year, qualifying CDF Freedom Schools servant leader interns and site coordinators are selected to lead the Institute as Ella Baker Trainers. They teach the delivery of our key program components and provide technical support for new sites. The 2010 class of 19 new and 21 returning EBTs is the largest ever. Learn more about the CDF Freedom Schools program.

Marian Wright Edelman: Changemaker

CDF President Marian Wright Edelman was selected as a featured member of Change.org’s new Changemakers network, a group of selected activists, elected officials, bloggers and other thought leaders on social issues. Mrs. Edelman’s page, launched earlier this month, features her weekly Child Watch® columns along with other relevant posts surrounding CDF initiatives.

Vital Legislation Introduced to Protect Children in Disasters

Last month Dr. Cathy Grace, director of early childhood development at the Children's Defense Fund, joined Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) at a press conference to announce the introduction of the Child Safety, Care, and Education Continuity Act of 2010. The bill creates a framework to address children’s needs in the event of a catastrophic disaster. It incorporates recommendations made by the National Commission on Children and Disasters (NCDD) report released in October 2009. Dr. Grace is currently with CDF while on sabbatical from Mississippi State University, where she directs the Early Childhood Institute. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Dr. Grace spearheaded a multi-million dollar effort to rebuild damaged and destroyed early childhood programs in the Mississippi Katrina region. Learn more about this vital legislation and watch video of the press conference.

Our Thanks and Promise

In December we set a goal of raising $100,000 from our online subscribers. Thanks to your generosity, we exceeded that goal!  We greatly appreciate your commitment, and we will continue to use your gifts to ensure as many children as possible benefit from our advocacy voice and direct service programs.  In these very tough times CDF’s top priorities remain focused on ensuring all children access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage and to quality education and early childhood experiences, as well as on ending the indefensible child poverty that afflicts 14 million children in our rich nation. Your gifts matter! Every dollar you share will help more children.  Thank you again for making a difference in the lives of millions of children by donating to the Children’s Defense Fund.

February Is Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month by sharing the poetry and stories found in The Langston Hughes Reader. The CDF on-line store has reduced the price by $6 (now just $14.95) for February only. This hardbound book is an enduring keepsake that sings with the magic of Langston Hughes, "The Poet Laureate of Harlem."