WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the United States navigates a complex and shifting political landscape, the nation’s leading child advocacy organization is preparing to bring together changemakers, policy experts, and community leaders from across the country to confront some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation’s youngest population.
In November 2026, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) will host the American Youth Policy Forum at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Entitled “Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children,” the high-profile gathering comes at a critical juncture. Organizers note that the two-day forum is designed to directly address a climate where policy decisions and political shifts are increasingly impacting the health, education, economic stability, and overall well-being of the 73 million children currently living in the United States.
Scheduled for November 4 through November 5, 2026, the forum will take place at the Blackburn University Center on the campus of Howard University. The timing of the event is particularly poignant, unfolding immediately after the November 3 national elections. Organizers emphasize that while election cycles dominate the national conversation, the daily lived realities, struggles, and needs of children and youth persist far beyond Election Day.
The forum will serve as a multifaceted gathering space for advocates, researchers, policymakers, and community organizers to reflect on the current state of affairs, strategize collectively, and chart a resilient path forward for America’s young people. Central to the discussions will be an examination of how recent political decisions and legislative shifts have affected foundational public systems. Key panels and keynote sessions will dive deep into the state of public education and public health systems, analyze the ongoing weakening and restructuring of federal education oversight, and scrutinize how political attacks on essential safety net programs have intensified hardships for families nationwide.
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 served as critical lifelines for millions of low-income families. According to event organizers, the erosion or restructuring of these safety net programs has directly worsened challenges related to food security, childhood health, and early childhood support systems, making a coordinated national response more urgent than ever.
A major highlight of the upcoming forum will be the official release of the 2026 State of America’s Children® Report. This comprehensive document serves as an annual barometer of child well-being in the United States, offering a rigorous, data-driven overview across a broad spectrum of indicators. The report examines critical areas including child population trends, national child poverty rates, income and wealth inequality, housing instability and homelessness, child hunger and nutrition, pediatric and adolescent health, early childhood development, public education, youth justice reform, and the escalating crisis of gun violence affecting young people.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the Children’s Defense Fund, noted that the conversations taking place during the November forum will play a vital role in shaping the organization’s future advocacy efforts and driving policy agendas designed to protect children nationwide.
“Election Day may be November 3, but the work for children and youth continues beyond that day,” Packnett Cunningham said. “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 extensive speaker lineup features some of the nation’s most prominent voices in social policy, child advocacy, economic equity, and public health. Among the featured experts scheduled to address attendees 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 the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of Investing in Children’s Mental Health; and Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children.
Additional 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. These leaders will bring diverse perspectives from economics, public health, social work, and policy design to the forefront of the national conversation.
Nick Vucic, National Director of Public Affairs for CDF, underscored that the forum directly addresses the urgent reality of navigating a fraught political climate while ensuring that young people are given the resources and protections they need to truly thrive.
“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.”
Founded in 1973, the Children’s Defense Fund has spent more than five decades working toward a national vision where marginalized children are empowered to flourish, where political and civic leaders consistently prioritize their health and well-being, and where communities possess the structural power to ensure all young people reach their full potential. As the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization operating at the direct intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF champions the needs of America’s most diverse generation: the 73 million children and youth under the age of 18, alongside 30 million young adults under the age of 25.
Through grassroots organizing rooted deeply in marginalized communities, CDF builds sustained power for child-centered public policy informed directly by racial equity and the lived experiences of young people. Among its many national initiatives is the renowned CDF Freedom Schools® program, which operates educational and enrichment programs in nearly 100 cities across 30 states and territories.
As preparations for the November gathering continue, organizers encourage advocates, educators, community leaders, and concerned citizens interested in the future of America’s youth to look to the Children’s Defense Fund for ongoing updates regarding the forum agenda, registration details, and the release of the 2026 State of America’s Children Report.
