COLUMBUS, OH — In an effort to address the pressing challenges facing youth across the Buckeye State, the prominent youth advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio (CDF-Ohio) is officially launching its comprehensive Defending the Whole Child Policy webinar series. Beginning on Monday, November 9, 2026, the initiative is designed to give parents, students, community members, and local leaders an in-depth opportunity to discuss the critical factors shaping children’s development, including family stability, economic mobility, children’s health, and education.
The launch of this virtual series represents a major step forward in ongoing statewide conversations regarding child welfare. CDF-Ohio structured the webinars to serve as an interactive, open platform where everyday citizens and key stakeholders can collaborate, exchange insights, and examine the systemic issues influencing the daily lives and long-term futures of Ohio’s younger generations.
This ambitious initiative does not emerge in a vacuum; rather, it builds directly upon the momentum of a statewide virtual and in-person listening tour conducted by CDF-Ohio earlier in the year. During that extensive outreach effort, organization staff members traveled extensively across urban, rural, and suburban communities. Their itinerary reached diverse populations in the Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus metropolitan areas, as well as the economically unique and historically underserved Appalachian region of the state. By going directly into these communities, CDF-Ohio sought to listen firsthand to families, parents, and young people regarding the exact supports, resources, and policy changes their children need most to succeed.
The timing of the webinar series also aligns closely with the release of critical national data regarding child welfare. Discussions during the sessions will heavily incorporate key findings from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book. That influential report rigorously analyzes the well-being of children in states across the entire country, providing a standardized benchmark for measuring progress and identifying areas requiring urgent intervention.
In this year’s evaluation, the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book ranked Ohio 27th overall for child well-being. The report highlighted that across the state, there remains significant and alarming room for improvement, particularly concerning persistent challenges related to child poverty, educational attainment, and overall health outcomes. By bringing these statistics into the spotlight, CDF-Ohio aims to ground the webinar discussions in concrete, measurable realities that demand collective action from lawmakers and community leaders alike.
The first installment of the series, titled the Family Stability and Economic Mobility Webinar, will take place on Monday, November 9, beginning at 12 p.m. EST. Interested participants can access the session via Zoom through the registration link provided by the organization. This inaugural session will specifically examine the foundational elements of family stability and economic mobility, while also exploring specialized strategies to best address the unique and often complex needs of foster children throughout Ohio.
Reflecting on the core philosophy driving the initiative, CDF State Director Dr. John Stanford emphasized the holistic nature of the organization’s mission. Defending the whole child means looking at all the supports young people in Ohio receive and asking if our leaders and communities are truly helping them thrive, Dr. Stanford noted. He further expressed hope that these scheduled conversations will serve to empower parents, advocates, and children themselves to clearly identify what the state desperately needs to build a brighter, more secure future for its young people.
The broader schedule for the remainder of the planned webinar series has been made publicly available through CDF-Ohio’s official communications channels, and digital links to access future webinars in the ongoing series have been shared via the organization’s online resources to ensure broad public participation.
The curriculum and conversational framework of the webinars are heavily informed by the qualitative data gathered during the organization’s earlier listening tour. Christian Davis, CDF-Ohio Research Manager and media contact for the initiative, pointed out that participants in the listening tour consistently emphasized the urgent need for expanded emotional, social, and mental health support for their children, alongside dedicated, specialized trauma assistance to help youth navigate adverse experiences.
Furthermore, Davis highlighted a particularly vital component of their outreach: the inclusion of youth who are currently or have previously been involved in the juvenile justice system. These young individuals shared invaluable perspectives on youth and social justice, offering rare and unfiltered viewpoints that deeply enriched the organization’s understanding of systemic barriers. CDF-Ohio hopes to foster similar open, candid conversations during the upcoming webinar series, as these discussions provide unique insights into the issues impacting child well-being that institutional policy discussions might otherwise fail to hear.
