WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the nation digests the results of a critical political cycle, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), one of the country’s leading child advocacy organizations, is taking immediate action. This week, CDF is convening the American Youth Policy Forum at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The high-stakes, two-day gathering, running on Wednesday and Thursday immediately following the conclusion of the 2026 midterm elections, brings together policymakers, advocates, researchers, and community leaders to confront an urgent question: how the current political landscape is impacting the growth, security, and well-being of the 73 million children living across the United States.
The timely forum—themed around the Children’s Defense Fund’s ongoing gala initiative, "Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children"—comes at a moment when organizers and child advocates warn that harmful political decisions are actively undermining the health, education, and foundational support systems of youth nationwide. By gathering experts in the nation’s capital right as the midterm election results settle, the organization aims to transition analytical observations into concrete legislative and community strategies.
The convening opens with a high-profile plenary session hosted by Joy Reid, prominent journalist and host of The Joy Reid Show. Reid will lead a distinguished panel of child well-being and advocacy experts designed to bridge the gap between electoral outcomes and practical advocacy. The opening discussion will focus heavily on dissecting what the 2026 midterm election results mean for federal and state youth policy, carefully outlining both the key risks and the strategic opportunities available to advocates, lawmakers, and community leaders in the upcoming sessions of Congress.
Scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th, at 9:30 a.m., the opening panel features an impressive roster of national leaders and policy experts. Alongside Joy Reid, the discussion will incorporate insights from Rev. Leonard Burton, President and CEO of the Center for the Study of Social Policy; Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children; Sharon Parrott, President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Dr. Heidi Shierholz, President of the Economic Policy Institute; and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, President and CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund.
The two-day conference agenda spans a wide array of pressing topics impacting American youth. In addition to panel discussions and keynote addresses, the forum will feature the official snapshot release of the forthcoming 2026 State of America’s Children® Report. This comprehensive report serves as an annual benchmark, summarizing the precise status of America’s children across a broad spectrum of well-being indicators. The report examines child population trends, child poverty rates, income and wealth inequality, housing stability and homelessness, child hunger and nutrition, child health outcomes, early childhood education access, traditional education systems, youth justice reform, and the escalating crisis of gun violence.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, CDF Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, emphasized that the organization’s overarching objective is to provide attendees with a crystal-clear, unvarnished understanding of the American political landscape and how shifting power dynamics will directly reverberate through the lives of young people.
"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."
Throughout the two-day forum, keynote addresses and specialized breakout panels will tackle some of the most critical structural challenges facing the nation’s youngest residents. Discussions will center on the current state of public education and public health systems, the structural weakening of the Department of Education, and the mounting policy attacks on essential safety net programs. Advocates will analyze how legislative threats to vital public supports—such as Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Medicaid—have severely compounded existing crises related to food insecurity, preventative healthcare, and early childhood developmental support.
Organizers note that these foundational programs have historically served as the bedrock of childhood security in the United States, keeping millions of children out of deep poverty and ensuring they have access to proper nutrition and medical care. The weakening or underfunding of these safety nets, experts warn, creates a cascading effect of vulnerability that impacts academic performance, long-term economic mobility, and overall physical and mental health.
Nick Vucic, CDF National Director of Public Affairs, underscored the moral and practical imperative driving this week’s convening at Howard University.
"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 American Youth Policy Forum takes place at the Blackburn University Center, located at Howard University at 2397 6th St NW in Washington, D.C. Day One sessions run on Wednesday, November 4th, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., followed by Day Two sessions on Thursday, November 5th, during the same hours. As advocates and policy experts gather at the historic university campus, the overarching message from the Children’s Defense Fund remains resolute: the post-election landscape demands immediate vigilance, strategic collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to defending the rights, health, and futures of America’s 73 million children.
