WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the nation navigates a complex and fraught political landscape, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) is preparing to bring together advocates, policy experts, and community leaders from across the United States for a pivotal national gathering. Set to take place this November at Howard University in Washington, D.C., the American Youth Policy Forum aims to confront how recent policy decisions and political shifts are directly impacting the growth, security, and overall well-being of the nation’s 73 million children and youth.
Titled “Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children,” the two-day forum is scheduled for November 4 through November 5, 2026. The convening serves as a critical meeting ground for child advocates to reflect on current challenges, share strategic insights, and chart a collective path forward for America’s younger generations. The discussions arrive at a time when organizers say harmful political decisions are increasingly undermining the infrastructure that supports children and families nationwide.
The agenda for the upcoming forum covers a comprehensive range of pressing systemic issues. Keynote addresses and panel discussions will closely examine the current state of public education and public health systems, the ongoing weakening of the federal Department of Education, and the broader political 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 provided vital support to vulnerable families. According to organizers, the erosion of these programs has directly exacerbated systemic challenges related to food insecurity, overall child health, and early childhood support systems.
In addition to panel discussions and policy strategy sessions, the forum will mark the official unveiling of the highly anticipated 2026 State of America’s Children® Report. This comprehensive document summarizes the status of children across the United States through a wide lens of child well-being indicators. The report examines critical areas including child population demographics, child poverty rates, income and wealth inequality, housing stability and homelessness, child hunger and nutrition, child health outcomes, early childhood education, youth justice reform, and the ongoing crisis of gun violence.
The timing of the forum, occurring immediately following the national elections, underscores its urgency for organizers and participants alike. Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the Children’s Defense Fund, emphasized that the responsibilities of child advocacy extend 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. She added that participants will collectively examine what the 2026 election results mean for the daily lives of children and youth, explore the specific policy issues shaping their health, education, and economic mobility, and identify concrete strategies for moving from uncertainty to organized action.
Nick Vucic, National Director of Public Affairs for CDF, echoed these sentiments, pointing to the urgent reality that the current political climate requires deliberate navigation to ensure young people have the opportunity to thrive. Vucic stressed that the organization remains steadfast in its mission to hold national leaders accountable so that public policies and programs genuinely serve the interests of the nation’s youth.
“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 be hosted at the Blackburn University Center, located at Howard University in Washington, D.C. A diverse lineup of prominent leaders, researchers, and policy experts has been confirmed to speak and lead discussions throughout the two-day event.
Featured speakers scheduled for the forum include 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 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.
Founded in 1973, the Children’s Defense Fund operates as a unique national, multi-issue advocacy organization working directly at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice. The organization envisions a society where marginalized children are empowered to flourish, where public leaders consistently prioritize their health and happiness, and where local communities hold the resources and power necessary to ensure young people thrive.
CDF advocates on behalf of the nation’s most diverse generation in history—encompassing the 73 million children and youth under the age of 18, alongside 30 million young adults under the age of 25. Through grassroots organizing in marginalized communities, the organization builds sustained political power for child-centered public policies informed directly by racial equity and the lived experiences of youth. Its widely recognized CDF Freedom Schools® program currently operates in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and U.S. territories, offering summer enrichment and educational support to thousands of children each year.
As preparations for the November forum continue, the Children’s Defense Fund encourages media representatives, community organizers, and individuals interested in child welfare to follow updates through its official channels across various digital platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, and Bluesky under the handle @childdefender or through its primary web portal at www.childrensdefense.org.
