Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - The Children's Defense Fund's (CDF) Early Childhood Development Division is pleased to announce the acceptance of 36 new fellows to its Emerging Leaders Fellowship Project: A Policy and Advocacy Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Early Childhood Care and Education. The Emerging Leaders Project provides child care, early education, and school-age advocates the information, support, and resources they need to be successful agents of change.

"The Emerging Leaders Fellowship Project is a critical part of the Leave No Child Behind® Movement, " said Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of CDF. "Those entrusted with caring, teaching, and advocating for young children hold great responsibility for shaping the lives of the next generation. We need to do more to support early childhood advocates so they can serve our children well."

The 36 fellows in the 2004 class come from 24 states and join an active, ongoing network of more than 170 fellows. The fellows represent and share diverse racial, ethnic, and community backgrounds. They work with local, state, and national children's advocacy and research organizations, statewide and local Head Start programs, child care resource and referral networks and programs, child care centers, family child care providers and networks, school-age programs, community-based organizations, child care assistance and licensing programs, and state legislatures.

Each year new fellows are selected through a competitive process based on their ability to demonstrate the commitment, energy, determination, and creativity necessary to serve as part of a growing cadre of new leadership in child care and early education. Recognizing that learning and change are long-term commitments, the Emerging Leaders Fellowship Project is intended to be an open-ended experience for the designated fellows. Once accepted to the fellowship network, they are invited to stay active and involved throughout their careers.

Emerging Leaders are encouraged to participate in training, skills building, and networking opportunities throughout the year, including participation in a Fall Institute at CDF Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee, a three-day legislative meeting in Washington, D.C., monthly conference calls, periodic state gatherings, and an email listserv.

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For additional information about the Emerging Leaders Fellowship Project, please contact Della Hoffman at (202) 662-3509 or dhoffman@childrensdefense.org . A list of the 2004 class of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship Project can be viewed at the following link:

• Children's Defense Fund's 2004 Emerging Leaders Fellowship Class
  (Adobe PDF : 3 pages : 16 KB)

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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.