First Focus Campaign for Children

Colorado lawmakers want nondiscrimination in state’s participation of Trump-backed education tax-credit Some Democratic lawmakers said the state should ensure nondiscrimination and equal student access to opportunities created by the program.

Colorado bill wants nondiscrimination in state’s use of Trump’s education tax-credit - Chalkbeat www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...

As ICE Moved In, Minnesotans Set Up a Shadow Medical System. It’s a Lesson for Other Cities. - KFF Health News President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis forced families into hiding and catalyzed informal medical networks to deliver critical health care services.

As ICE Moved In, Minnesotans Set Up a Shadow Medical System. It’s a Lesson for Other Cities. - KFF Health News kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Terrible Toxics: How the EPA Rollbacks Are Betraying Child Health A new report by leading scientists who worked at the EPA document how the Administration's recent rollbacks of health safeguards are exposing children to mercury, lead, pesticides, and PFAS.

Terrible Toxics: How the EPA Rollbacks Are Betraying Child Health brucelesley.substack.com/p/terrible-t...

Colorado’s family-oriented tax credits gave ‘light and hope’ to one mom — but costs make their future uncertain A study led by researchers at Washington University and Appalachian State University found that the three tax credits helping families lifted more than 52,000 Colorado children out of poverty last …

Colorado tax credits cut child poverty by more than a third - Denver Post

The ‘SAVE America Act’ Threatens Children’s Representation For most of American history, democracy was not designed to include everyone.

The ‘SAVE America Act’ Threatens Children’s Representation open.substack.com/pub/bruceles...

Be Careful What You Ask For: The Parental Rights Trap and the Cost to Children Professor Nila Bala Explains How Expansive Parental Sovereignty Becomes Liability, Isolation, and Organized Abandonment — and Why Children Pay the Price

Be Careful What You Ask For: The Parental Rights Trap and the Cost to Children brucelesley.substack.com/p/be-careful...

The feds child care cuts will hurt Minnesota kids • Minnesota Reformer In Minnesota, child care costs $23,000 annually for infants and nearly $18,000 for preschoolers, making it the third most expensive state for child care.

The feds child care cuts will hurt Minnesota kids • Minnesota Reformer minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/06/t...

What the Crackdown Has Done to Minneapolis Children “It’s like living in fear all the time,” a teenager said about the federal raids that have shattered families.

What the Crackdown Has Done to Minneapolis Children - NY Times www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...

Congress Should Not Re-Impose Child Poverty on DC’s Babies and Children Overturning DC’s budget would undo a proven Child Tax Credit, blow a hole in local revenues, and punish the children who need help most.

Congress Should Not Re-Impose Child Poverty on DC’s Babies and Children brucelesley.substack.com/p/congress-s...

‘These kids are invisible’: Child abuse deaths spur clash over homeschool regulation • Stateline Recent high-profile child abuse deaths in several states have led to renewed calls from state lawmakers for stronger homeschooling regulations.

‘These kids are invisible’: Child abuse deaths spur clash over homeschool regulation • Stateline stateline.org/2026/01/29/t...

#MLKDay

Trump Administration Destroys the Systems that Support and Protect America’s Children In an important column, the President of First Focus on Children, Bruce Lesley names what ought to be our nation’s social policy agenda, if justice and equity are the goals we seek: “de…

Trump Administration Destroys the Systems that Support and Protect America’s Children janresseger.wordpress.com/2026/01/15/t... by Jan Resseger

Urging our followers to also follow @kidscantwaitusa.bsky.social as the newest member of the @firstfocus.bsky.social network.

#PleaseFollow

The Misguided Push to Abolish the Department of Education The Trump Administration has taken another significant step toward dismantling the Department of Education by proposing a plan to use six “interagency agreements” that would disperse many of the…

The Misguided Push to Abolish the Department of Education firstfocusonchildren.substack.com/p/the-misgui...

Rep. Sara Jacobs, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Bill Cassidy Lead Bicameral Bill to Help Families Claim the Child Tax Credit After a Natural Disaster | U.S. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs Of California's 51st District The Official U.S. Congressional website of Congresswoman Sara Jacobs

Rep. Sara Jacobs, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Bill Cassidy Lead Bicameral Bill to Help Families Claim the Child Tax Credit After a Natural Disaster sarajacobs.house.gov/news/press-r...

Current law actually slashes the Child Tax Credit for children and families who are victims of a natural disaster.

Choosing Harm Over Help: How U.S. Policymakers Are Turning Against Children When children need investment, care, and protection, they’re being met instead with abandonment, cruelty, and systemic neglect.

Choosing Harm Over Help: How U.S. Policymakers Are Turning Against Children brucelesley.substack.com/p/choosing-h...

Letter: Opposing Health Care Freedom for Patients Act and Urging Permanent Protection for Children’s Health Coverage First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives today urging lawmakers to oppose the Health

Letter: Opposing Health Care Freedom for Patients Act and Urging Permanent Protection for Children’s Health Coverage  - Campaign For Children campaignforchildren.org/resource/let...

The Cassidy bill literally provides nothing for kids.

Why Kennedy’s Message on Parental Rights, HIPAA, and Kids’ Medical Records Misses the Point Parents have rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), but so do kids.

Why Kennedy’s Message on Parental Rights, HIPAA, and Kids’ Medical Records Misses the Point open.substack.com/pub/bruceles...

Grateful to the members of Congress who reached across the aisle to introduce the Global Child Thrive Reauthorization Act, which will protect children in some of the world's poorest countries. bit.ly/48vHbwN

Bruce Lesley (@brucelesley.bsky.social) Across our nation, children are being left behind in the decisions that shape their futures. At @firstfocus.bsky.social, we’re working to change that by calling for policy changes that put kids…

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#GivingTuesday

Children at the Ballot Box: Why Direct Democracy May Be a Game-Changer for Kids Child advocates have often ignored or minimized the use of ballot measures and direct democracy as part of our playbook. It's past time to change that.

Children at the Ballot Box: Why Direct Democracy May Be a Game-Changer for Kids brucelesley.substack.com/p/children-a...

#VoteKids #InvestInKids

Recent Actions by the Trump Administration Target Children with Disabilities Proposed rules, reductions in force, threaten roughly 100,000 children who rely on Supplemental Security Income, plus others in need of support and

Recent Actions by the Trump Administration Target Children with Disabilities firstfocus.org/update/recent-… by Chad Bolt and Lily Klam

As governor, lawmakers mull special session agenda, child advocacy groups have some ideas • Nevada Current Nevada’s child care crisis should warrant a special session rather than efforts to give public subsidies to film studies, advocacy groups say.  “We don’t think this is the time where we need to be…

As governor, lawmakers mull special session agenda, child advocacy groups have some ideas • Nevada Current nevadacurrent.com/2025/11/07/a...

The Trump Admin must release the SNAP contingency fund today so that 16 million kids do not start going hungry tomorrow.

It’s that simple.

Money Matters: The Nation’s Retreat from Kids Federal spending on children has dropped to historic lows, but the steepest cuts are ahead.

Money Matters: The Nation’s Retreat from Kids brucelesley.substack.com/p/money-matt...

First Focus on Children released our annual report yesterday, Children's Budget 2025. The findings show a 30+% decline in the share of federal funding to children from 2021 to Trump's FY 2026 budget proposal.

Fear and Harm as Policy: How the Feds Are Traumatizing Children Noem's Department of Homeland Security is not targeting the "worst of the worst" as she claims: her agency is increasingly targeting the children of immigrants.

Fear and Harm as Policy: How the Feds Are Traumatizing Children brucelesley.substack.com/p/fear-and-h...