The two-day event, scheduled for November 4 through November 5, 2026, is titled "Doing Our First Works Over: The New State of America’s Children." According to event organizers, the forum arrives at a critical historical juncture, coming directly on the heels of the 2026 midterm elections and at a moment when organizers argue that harmful policy decisions at various levels of government are actively undermining the health, education, and overall well-being of the younger generation.
The forum will be hosted at the Blackburn University Center on the campus of Howard University, serving as a central hub for strategizing, reflecting, and charting a renewed path forward for youth advocacy in the United States. Attendees will include prominent child advocates, policy experts, economists, and community leaders who are dedicated to addressing the intersecting crises affecting children, particularly within marginalized communities.
Central to the agenda of the November gathering will be a series of keynote addresses and panel discussions focusing on the structural challenges currently facing foundational public institutions. Topics slated for discussion include the state of the American public education system, the stability of public health infrastructure, and the systematic weakening of the U.S. Department of Education. Furthermore, panels will scrutinize how ongoing political and legislative attacks on essential social 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 directly exacerbated challenges related to childhood food insecurity, inadequate healthcare access, and early childhood support systems.
In addition to policy debates and strategic planning sessions, the American Youth Policy Forum will serve as the official platform for the release of the highly anticipated 2026 State of America’s Children Report. This comprehensive document provides an exhaustive overview of how children are faring across a wide spectrum of well-being indicators. The report examines critical metrics including overall child population trends, child poverty rates, growing income and wealth inequality, the crisis of housing stability and homelessness, child hunger and nutrition statistics, pediatric health outcomes, early childhood education access, developments in youth justice reform, and the ongoing public health crisis of gun violence impacting American youth.
The lineup of featured speakers for the forum brings together some of the nation’s leading minds in social policy, economics, and child advocacy. Among them 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 studies on investing in children’s mental health; Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children; Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer 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.
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of CDF, emphasized that the discussions taking place during the two-day forum are designed to provide a concrete roadmap for future advocacy and policy formulation aimed at safeguarding children’s interests nationwide.
Reflecting on the timing of the event, which takes place immediately following the national elections, Packnett Cunningham noted that the responsibilities of child advocates extend far beyond a single day at the ballot box. She pointed out that while Election Day falls on November 3, the critical work required to protect and uplift children and youth must continue unabated. According to Packnett Cunningham, participants at the forum will collectively examine what the 2026 election results truly mean for the younger generation, evaluate the specific policy decisions shaping their economic mobility, health, and education, and develop actionable strategies to transition from an atmosphere of uncertainty into decisive action.
Nick Vucic, the National Director of Public Affairs for CDF, echoed these sentiments, stressing that the forum directly addresses the urgent reality of the current political environment. Vucic stated that navigating and overcoming the challenges of a fraught political climate is essential if the nation’s young people are to be given the opportunity to truly thrive and reach their full potential.
Vucic reiterated that the core mission of the Children’s Defense Fund is rooted in ensuring that every child in the United States is kept safe, secure, and fully supported by their communities and government. Accomplishing this goal, he explained, requires holding the nation’s political leaders strictly accountable to ensure that public policies and government programs genuinely serve the interests of the rising generation. Warning against complacency, Vucic emphasized that society cannot afford to let decades of hard-fought progress in child welfare and civil rights be undone. By convening at Howard University, advocates aim to build a unified front capable of shaping policies that protect the futures of children and measurably improve their day-to-day lives.
Founded more than half a century ago in 1973, the Children’s Defense Fund has long maintained a distinct vision for the United States—one in which marginalized children are empowered to flourish, political leaders place the well-being of youth at the very top of the national agenda, and local communities possess the resources and authority necessary to guarantee that every child succeeds. As the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization that operates precisely at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF works tirelessly on behalf of the nation’s most diverse generation in history. This constituency encompasses the 73 million children and youth under the age of 18 living across the country, as well as the 30 million young adults under the age of 25.
The organization’s approach relies heavily on fostering grassroots movements within marginalized communities, thereby building sustainable political and social power for child-centered public policies. These efforts are continually informed by a commitment to racial equity and a deep understanding of the lived experiences of children and youth. Among its signature initiatives is the renowned CDF Freedom Schools program, which operates educational and enrichment programs in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and U.S. territories.
As preparations for the November forum continue, organizers at the Children’s Defense Fund encourage advocates, researchers, educators, and community leaders interested in child advocacy to engage with the organization’s ongoing campaigns and upcoming reports through its official digital channels and network platforms.
