The State of America’s Children

Over the next four weeks CDF will be releasing a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on children through The State of America’s Children® 2010. In short, the state of America’s children is alarming as the report outlines the jarring reality that our nation—first in number of billionaires yet last in relative child poverty among industrialized nations—has failed to live up to its promise of equality and opportunity for its most vulnerable. Through this report, you’ll obtain a comprehensive look at all the issues which contribute to a child’s well-being, including family structure and income, health, early childhood, education, child abuse and neglect, juvenile justice, and gun violence.

Visit our website to download key facts, as well as the sections on child population and child poverty. Check back each week for the latest available sections and related actions you can take to put the pressure on those in power to step up to the plate and address the urgent needs of our children. Together, we can refuse to simply accept the findings of this report and instead demand a brighter future for all children, and thus a brighter tomorrow for all of us.

One Week Discount for the Proctor Institute

 The Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry at CDF Haley Farm, July 19-23, is the one place where you will find all you need to inspire, inform, renew, and equip yourself for effective faith-based work to build the children’s movement. Learn more about the urgent needs of our nation’s children and how we can build the next generation of leadership from nationally known speakers, including The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, Ambassador Andrew Young, Dr. John Rich, The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, and many more. Learn more about the speakers and agenda for this year’s Institute.

One Week Discount - Send your registration in before Friday, June 4, and receive $25 off your 5-day registration total. Register online today!

Dora the Explorer’s “Beyond the Backpack” and Early Childhood Development

CDF has teamed up with Nickelodeon’s popular Dora the Explorer character and the National Parent Teacher Association to create the “Beyond the Backpack” school readiness campaign. This multi-year campaign, whose title comes from the well-stocked backpack that keeps Dora ready for every adventure, will help provide parents and educators with the resources, skills, and support they need to help prepare preschoolers to start their school years on the right path. Learn more by visiting the Beyond the Backpack website.

CDF has worked for over three decades to support the growth and development of our nation’s children through quality early care, paying special attention to the crucial early years when so much brain and emotional development occur. Be sure to check out CDF’s Director of Early Childhood Development Dr. Cathy Grace’s “Speaking for Children” video segments which provide tips on how parents and caregivers can begin teaching children literacy, math, and social skills at an early age.

Promise Neighborhoods

The federal Promise Neighborhoods program can help give every child the chance to learn, grow, and succeed. Based on the highly successful Harlem Children’s Zone model, the federal program is offering $10 million in grants to help communities plan a pipeline of services to support children from birth through graduation. The Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink is an independent, nonprofit resource that provides the tools, information, and strategies communities need to apply for federal funding and create their own Promise Neighborhood. Join the weekly PNI webinars at www.PromiseNeighborhoodsInstitute.org/webinars.

1,300-mile Walk for CDF

We here at CDF would like to send a big ‘thank-you’ to our walking advocate, Kyle Fager, who embarked on a 1,300-mile walk from Florida City, FL to Pittsburgh, PA last month with his dog Adama to help build awareness and raise money for the Children’s Defense Fund!

Kyle reports from his journey, “In 600 miles, I’ve learned a great many things about myself and about this country, but what resonates most is the stark divide between rich and poor neighborhoods. Many of these places stand side by side, separated only by a crumbling street or a dormant railroad – but the gap between them in quality of life and access to basic human needs approaches something more like a chasm. In almost every town I pass, I see palatial houses situated just down the highway from slums that liken to the Third World, and it breaks my heart every time. I’ve heard that a country is only as great as its least advantaged citizen, and if that truly is the case, this country needs the Children’s Defense Fund more than ever before."

Support Kyles’ walk and start a fund-raising campaign of your own!