Scheduled for November 4 and 5 at the Blackburn University Center on the campus of Howard University, the forum is titled "Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children." The event arrives at a critical juncture, serving as a gathering space for child advocates, policy experts, community leaders, and youth champions from across the nation to reflect on current challenges, strategize collectively, and chart a definitive path forward for America’s young people.
According to organizers, the discussions will delve deeply into the state of public education and public health systems nationwide. Panels and keynote addresses will closely examine the ongoing weakening of the Department of Education and scrutinize how persistent political and legislative attacks on essential safety net 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 significantly worsened systemic challenges related to child food security, public health, and early childhood support systems.
A central feature of the two-day forum will be the official release of the highly anticipated 2026 State of America’s Children® Report. This comprehensive document provides a rigorous, data-driven summary of the status of children in the United States across a wide 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 education access, youth justice, and the pervasive crisis of gun violence.
The forum takes place immediately following the November 3 general election, a timing that leadership notes is crucial for framing the future of child advocacy in the country. Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the Children’s Defense Fund, emphasized that the discussions held during the forum will provide a vital compass for future advocacy efforts and policy directions aimed at safeguarding children nationwide.
"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."
The event will feature a diverse and distinguished roster of keynote speakers and panel participants representing leading policy institutes, advocacy networks, and academic institutions. Among the featured experts scheduled to speak 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.
Nick Vucic, National Director of Public Affairs at CDF, underscored the urgency of the moment, pointing out that current political dynamics demand active resistance against the rollback of decades of progress for children and families. He noted that the forum addresses the pressing reality that the nation must actively navigate and dismantle the barriers of a difficult political climate if the next generation is to 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 long maintained a vision of a nation where marginalized children are able to flourish, where elected leaders consistently prioritize their health and well-being, and where communities retain the power to ensure young people thrive. As the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working precisely at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF continually champions the needs of the nation’s most diverse generation—encompassing 73 million children and youth under the age of 18, alongside 30 million young adults under 25.
Through grassroots organizing movements centered in historically marginalized communities, the organization builds sustained political and social power for child-centered public policy. These efforts are deeply informed by a commitment to racial equity and the direct lived experiences of children and youth. Furthermore, CDF’s nationally renowned CDF Freedom Schools® program operates in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and territories, providing transformative educational and cultural enrichment during the summer months.
As preparations continue for the November gathering at Howard University, organizers expect the forum to draw significant national attention, uniting diverse coalitions determined to place the needs of America’s children back at the center of the national policy agenda.
