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 chart a critical course forward for the country’s youngest population. In November, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) will host the American Youth Policy Forum at Howard University, bringing together nationwide advocates, policy experts, and community leaders to address mounting threats to the growth, safety, and well-being of the nation’s 73 million children.
The two-day gathering, titled "Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children," is scheduled for November 4–5, 2026, at the Blackburn University Center. The forum arrives at a pivotal moment, taking place immediately following the 2026 midterm elections. Organizers emphasize that the timing is deliberate, designed to help advocates assess the practical implications of the political climate and newly emerging election results on the daily lives of children and youth.
According to the Children’s Defense Fund, current political decisions at various levels of government are actively undermining the foundational support systems that children and youth rely upon for healthy development. The forum aims to serve as a vital space for reflection, rigorous strategy development, and collaborative action among individuals and organizations dedicated to child advocacy and racial justice.
Throughout the conference, featured discussions and panel sessions will delve deeply into pressing systemic issues. Key focal points will include the current state of public education and public health systems, the troubling weakening of the federal Department of Education, and the widespread legislative 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 historically provided critical lifelines for millions of families. However, recent policy shifts and funding battles have severely strained these systems, exacerbating existing crises in food security, pediatric health care, and early childhood education and support.
A central highlight of the November gathering will be the official release of the 2026 State of America’s Children Report. This comprehensive annual publication provides an exhaustive look at the status of children across the United States, utilizing detailed data to measure child well-being across a wide spectrum of indicators. The report examines child population trends, national child poverty rates, growing income and wealth inequality, the crisis of housing and homelessness among families, child hunger and nutrition deficits, overall child health, early childhood development milestones, public education metrics, youth justice involvement, and the devastating impact of gun violence.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the Children’s Defense Fund, underscored the urgency of the upcoming discussions and the enduring nature of advocacy work that extends far beyond a single election cycle.
"Election Day may be November 3, but the work for children and youth continues beyond that day," Packnett Cunningham stated. "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."
The forum’s agenda has drawn a distinguished roster of speakers and panelists from prominent research institutions, advocacy organizations, and academic fields. Among the featured participants 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 UCLA and co-author of Investing in Children’s Mental Health; and Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children.
Additional expert voices contributing to the dialogue include 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 will also take an active role in shaping the discussions as a featured speaker.
Nick Vucic, National Director of Public Affairs for CDF, emphasized that the forum addresses a profoundly urgent reality: that advocates must actively navigate and dismantle the obstacles created by a difficult political climate if young people are to have a genuine opportunity to thrive.
"At CDF, we work to ensure every child is safe and supported," Vucic remarked. "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."
Founded in 1973, the Children’s Defense Fund has maintained a long-standing vision of fostering a nation where marginalized children are able to flourish, where political and civic leaders deliberately prioritize child well-being, and where local communities possess the resources and power necessary to ensure young people succeed. As the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization operating precisely at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF works continuously to champion the interests of America’s most diverse generation—encompassing the 73 million children and youth under the age of 18, as well as the 30 million young adults under the age of 25.
Through grassroots organizing movements rooted deeply in marginalized communities, CDF builds collective power aimed at enacting child-centered public policy. These efforts are consistently informed by principles of racial equity and the direct lived experiences of children and youth. Among its most recognized national initiatives is the CDF Freedom Schools program, which operates successfully in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and U.S. territories, providing transformative summer educational and cultural enrichment for youth.
The 2026 American Youth Policy Forum is expected to draw hundreds of attendees from across the country, serving as both a diagnostic assessment of the challenges facing America’s youth and a mobilized call to action for the policy battles ahead.
