LOS ANGELES, CA — This Thursday, the Children’s Defense Fund–California (CDF-CA) will convene youth leaders, policymakers, advocates, and community stakeholders at The Honeypot in Downtown Los Angeles for Child Watch 2026. The annual gathering is designed to explore bold, systemic solutions to the most pressing challenges facing children, youth, and families across Southern California, with a specific emphasis on bridging educational gaps and reforming outcomes for young people touched by the juvenile justice system.
The high-profile event arrives at a critical juncture for Los Angeles County, serving as a platform to center the lived experiences of young people while evaluating institutional progress. A central pillar of this year’s program is the one-year anniversary of a landmark report released by the Education Justice Coalition LA. Titled Who Has the Power? Chronicling Los Angeles County’s Systemic Failures to Educate Incarcerated Youth, the report laid bare deep-seated failures within local institutions tasked with providing adequate education to incarcerated minors. Participants at Child Watch 2026 will spend the day reviewing the report’s core findings, examining policy recommendations, and measuring the incremental progress—or lack thereof—made over the past twelve months in supporting these vulnerable youth.
Organizers emphasize that the day will not be limited to high-level policy debates; rather, it will bridge empirical research with direct community narrative. Attendees will hear firsthand testimonies from young people who possess lived experience within the overlapping educational and justice systems. Furthermore, CDF-CA and its allied organizations will unveil and discuss new research and community reports, including the recently published Long Beach report, which offers granular insights into regional inequities. By bringing these diverse groups together, the event aims to foster collaboration among the myriad stakeholders working tirelessly to advance educational equity throughout Los Angeles County.
The convening is scheduled for Thursday, September 24, 2026, running from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at The Honeypot, located at 212 W. 12th Street in Los Angeles. As an organization long dedicated to defending the rights and well-being of America’s youth, CDF-CA has curated an agenda featuring prominent voices from legal, advocacy, and research backgrounds.
The keynote address will be delivered by Arnold Chandler, president and co-founder of Forward Change, an organization recognized for its strategic work in advancing racial equity and systemic reform. Chandler’s address is expected to set a visionary tone for the day, challenging attendees to rethink how public systems serve marginalized youth.
Following the keynote, a series of expert panels will dive deeper into the legal and systemic barriers facing justice-involved students. The panel lineup includes Kelsey White, a staff attorney with Public Counsel, the nation’s largest pro bono law firm, which frequently litigates on behalf of underserved children and communities. Joining her will be Vivian T. Wong, director of the Youth Justice Education Clinic at Loyola Law School, an institution renowned for providing direct legal representation to court-involved youth to secure their right to a stable education. The panel will also feature Megan Stanton-Trehan, senior attorney of the Youth Practice Group at Disability Rights California, bringing critical insight into the intersection of special education needs, disability rights, and the juvenile justice pipeline.
The urgency of these discussions is underscored by leadership within the organizing body. Jaren Sorkow, director of Children’s Defense Fund–California, noted the broader collaborative spirit driving the day’s events.
“We hope Child Watch 2026 will show how working together across organizations, institutions, and communities can drive lasting change for children and youth throughout Southern California,” Sorkow said. “By combining youth storytelling, community dialogue, and policy conversations, we are proud to center young voices as we work toward a future where all children in our state can thrive.”
For advocates and policymakers alike, Thursday’s gathering represents a vital space for accountability and strategic alignment. As Los Angeles County continues to grapple with the structural shortcomings highlighted in reports like Who Has the Power?, Child Watch 2026 provides both a sobering assessment of current conditions and a hopeful roadmap for reform, anchored firmly in the voices and futures of the region’s young people.
