WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the United States navigates a complex and increasingly fraught political landscape, national youth advocacy leaders are preparing to gather in the nation’s capital to confront what they describe as unprecedented challenges to the growth, health, and overall well-being of the nation’s 73 million children.
The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), a pioneering multi-issue child advocacy organization founded in 1973, announced details for the upcoming American Youth Policy Forum. Scheduled to take place this November at Howard University, the high-profile gathering is designed to bring together prominent advocates, researchers, policy experts, and community leaders from across the country to reflect on current conditions, strategize collectively, and chart a resilient path forward for America’s young people.
The forum, aptly titled “Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children,” comes at a critical historical juncture. Organizers note that the event arrives precisely at a moment when harmful political decisions, legislative rollbacks, and systemic shifts are actively undermining the development and security of children and youth nationwide. By uniting diverse voices in Washington, the CDF aims to address these compounding pressures head-on and foster a renewed national commitment to the youngest members of society.
The two-day conference is scheduled for November 4 through November 5, 2026, and will be hosted at the Blackburn University Center, located at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The timing of the event is strategically aligned with the national political calendar, following immediately after the 2026 midterm elections, allowing participants to analyze immediate electoral outcomes and their direct implications for public policy affecting youth.
At the core of the forum’s agenda is a deep dive into the systemic pressures facing foundational public systems. Keynote addresses and panel discussions will critically examine the current state of public education and public health infrastructure across the United States. Particular scrutiny will be directed toward the perceived weakening of federal oversight and support within the Department of Education, as well as mounting political and budgetary attacks on essential safety net programs.
Organizers emphasize that programs such as Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Medicaid form the bedrock of child survival and development in America. In recent years, however, challenges to these lifelines have significantly worsened existing crises related to household food security, pediatric health outcomes, and early childhood educational support systems. The forum will serve as a vital platform to evaluate these impacts and formulate coordinated policy responses.
A major highlight of the November gathering will be the official release and unveiling of the 2026 State of America’s Children Report. This comprehensive annual publication serves as a definitive benchmark for child advocacy, providing an exhaustive summary of the status of children across a wide spectrum of well-being indicators. The report traditionally covers critical areas including the shifting child population, rates of child poverty, widening income and wealth inequality, the crisis of housing and homelessness, child hunger and pediatric nutrition, overall child health, early childhood education and care, youth justice systems, and the devastating impact of gun violence on American youth.
The event will feature an impressive lineup of national experts and organizational leaders representing diverse sectors of public policy, social welfare, economic research, and child health. Among the prominent speakers scheduled to take part in the discussions are Rev. Leonard Burton, President and CEO of the Center for the Study of Social Policy; Annie Donovan, President and CEO of the Raza Development Fund; and Dr. Daniel Eisenburg, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of significant research on investing in children’s mental health.
Additional featured speakers include Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children; Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of the Children’s Defense Fund; Sharon Parrott, President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Dr. Ramesh Raghavan, Professor of Social Work at New York University; Dr. Heidi Shierholz, President of the Economic Policy Institute; and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, President and CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, the CDF’s Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, highlighted the urgency of the moment and explained that the discussions taking place at Howard University will directly inform future advocacy campaigns and policy frameworks designed to protect children nationwide.
Reflecting on the political timing of the conference, Packnett Cunningham noted that while electoral events command national attention, the daily struggle and vital work required to secure the futures of children and youth extend far beyond a single election cycle. She emphasized that participants will come together to examine what the 2026 election results truly mean for the younger generation, explore the policy drivers shaping health, educational access, and economic mobility, and identify concrete, actionable strategies to move the nation from a state of uncertainty to decisive action.
Nick Vucic, CDF National Director of Public Affairs, echoed these sentiments, pointing to the pressing reality that advocates must actively navigate and counter the pressures of a fraught political climate if the next generation is to have a genuine opportunity to thrive.
Vucic stated that the core mission of the Children’s Defense Fund remains centered on ensuring that every child is kept safe, supported, and provided with the resources necessary for healthy development. He stressed that achieving this vision requires holding national leaders strictly accountable so that public policies and federal programs genuinely serve the interests of young people. Warning against complacency, Vucic asserted that society cannot afford to allow decades of hard-fought social progress to be undone, making collective mobilization essential for shaping protective policies that improve the daily lives of children.
The urgency expressed by leadership is deeply rooted in the institutional history and ongoing mission of the Children’s Defense Fund. Established in 1973, the organization has spent more than five decades working toward a national vision where marginalized children are empowered to flourish, where elected officials consistently prioritize child well-being, and where local communities possess the resources and authority to guarantee a safe environment for all youth.
As the nation’s premier multi-issue advocacy organization operating specifically at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, the CDF focuses its efforts on supporting America’s most diverse generation in history. This includes advocating for the 73 million children and youth under the age of 18, as well as 30 million young adults under the age of 25. Through grassroots organizing campaigns rooted directly in marginalized communities, the organization works to build sustainable political power for child-centered public policy that is guided by principles of racial equity and informed by the direct lived experiences of young people themselves.
In addition to its federal and state-level policy advocacy, the organization is widely recognized for its signature educational initiative, the CDF Freedom Schools program, which operates in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and U.S. territories, providing academic enrichment and community support during critical out-of-school times.
As preparations for the November forum near completion, organizers anticipate that the discussions in Washington will spark renewed national dialogue, energize grassroots networks, and establish a clear, unified agenda for child advocacy heading into the legislative sessions ahead.
