WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the United States navigates a complex and increasingly fraught political landscape, national advocates are mobilizing to protect the nation’s youngest population. The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), a prominent national youth advocacy organization, has announced that it will convene the American Youth Policy Forum this November in Washington, D.C.
The gathering, officially titled “Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children,” comes at a critical juncture for the 73 million children living across the United States. Scheduled for November 4-5, 2026, at the Blackburn University Center at Howard University, the forum is designed to address how recent policy decisions and political shifts are impacting the growth, safety, and overall well-being of children and youth nationwide.
The event follows closely on the heels of the 2026 general elections, serving as an immediate platform for advocates, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders to reflect on election outcomes, strategize around ongoing challenges, and chart a decisive path forward for the country’s younger generations.
According to organizers, the forum’s discussions will deeply examine the state of public education and public health systems across the country. Attendees will address the ongoing weakening of the federal Department of Education, as well as the cascading effects of legislative and budgetary attacks on essential safety net programs. Programs such as Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Medicaid have long served as critical pillars supporting American families. However, recent political pressures and funding threats have worsened existing challenges related to food security, public health, and early childhood support systems, leaving millions of vulnerable children exposed to increased hardship.
In addition to panel discussions and keynote addresses, the forum will officially unveil the highly anticipated 2026 State of America’s Children® Report. This comprehensive publication provides an in-depth summary of the status of children in the United States across a wide spectrum of well-being indicators. The report examines critical metrics including child population trends, child poverty rates, income and wealth inequality, housing stability and homelessness, child hunger and nutrition, pediatric and adolescent health, early childhood education and care, public education standards, youth justice, and the pervasive crisis of gun violence.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the Children’s Defense Fund, emphasized that the discussions held during the two-day forum will play a foundational role in guiding future advocacy efforts and policy agendas aimed at improving children’s lives nationwide.
“Election Day may be November 3, but the work for children and youth continues beyond that day,” Packnett Cunningham said, highlighting the ongoing nature of advocacy regardless of electoral outcomes. “Together, we’ll examine what the 2026 election results mean for children and youth, explore the policy issues shaping their health, education, economic mobility, and well-being, and identify strategies for moving from uncertainty to action.”
Nick Vucic, CDF National Director of Public Affairs, echoed these sentiments, pointing to the urgent reality that advocates must actively navigate a turbulent political climate to ensure that young people are given the resources and protections they need to truly thrive.
“At CDF, we work to ensure every child is safe and supported,” Vucic said. “This means holding our nation’s leaders accountable so their policies and programs truly serve young people. We cannot allow decades of progress to be undone. Therefore, we must come together to shape policies that protect children’s futures and improve their daily lives. We plan to do just that at the 2026 American Youth Policy Forum, Powered by CDF.”
The forum will feature a diverse lineup of nationally recognized experts, researchers, and organizational leaders who bring deep expertise in child welfare, economic policy, health care, and social justice. Among the featured speakers scheduled to address attendees 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; Dr. Daniel Eisenburg, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of Investing in Children’s Mental Health; and Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children.
Additional featured speakers include Brittany Packnett Cunningham 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.
The choice of Howard University’s Blackburn University Center as the venue for the 2026 forum underscores the event’s focus on equity, justice, and community empowerment. Founded in 1973, the Children’s Defense Fund has long operated at the vital intersection of child well-being and racial justice. As the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization dedicated to this mission, CDF works to advance the needs of America’s most diverse generation in history—encompassing 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 models implemented in marginalized communities across the nation, CDF seeks to build sustainable power for child-centered public policy. These efforts are directly informed by principles of racial equity and the lived experiences of children and families. Among its signature initiatives is the renowned CDF Freedom Schools® program, which currently operates in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and territories, providing summer enrichment and academic support to children who need it most.
As preparations for the November gathering continue, organizers note that registration and logistical details for the 2026 American Youth Policy Forum are being coordinated through the Children’s Defense Fund. With the release of the 2026 State of America’s Children® Report and the collective expertise of the nation’s leading advocates, the forum is poised to set a resolute and actionable agenda for child advocacy in the years to come.
