Danbury News-Times

By Rob Ryster

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty is among 50 lawmakers recognized by an advocacy group as a “Defender of Children.”

The group First Focus Campaign for Children chose Esty for her leadership on issues important to children during the 114th Congress in 2014 and 2015, according to a release...

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MinnPost

By Joe Kimball
10/27/2015

The national First Focus Campaign for Children has included four Minnesotans on a list of 50 members of Congress they call "Champions for Children."

On the list are Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum. They were cited for their "extraordinary efforts to protect and improve the future of America’s next generation."...

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Deerfield Patch

By Tim Moran

Illinois 10th District U.S. Congressman Robert Dold, R-Kenilworth was one of 66 House members to be recognized for advocating for children by national advocacy group First Focus Campaign for Children.

“Lots of politicians talk about kids’ issues, but few back it up,” said Bruce Lesley, president of the Campaign for Children. “Representative Dold made real commitments to improving the wellbeing of America’s children.”...

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Evanston Patch

By Tim Moran

Illinois th District U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston was one of 66 House members to be recognized for advocating for children by national advocacy group First Focus Campaign for Children.

“Lots of politicians talk about kids’ issues, but few back it up,” said Bruce Lesley, president of the Campaign for Children. “Representative Schakowsky made real commitments to improving the wellbeing of America’s children.”...

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The First Focus Campaign for Children supports legislators who stand by our nation’s children. This ad recognizing our 2015 Champions for Children and Defenders of Children ran in the October 27, 2015 edition of Roll Call.

Washington – Today, the First Focus Campaign for Children, a national bipartisan children’s advocacy group, recognized 100 Members of Congress for leadership on issues important to the health and well-being of children during 2015.

“Lots of politicians talk about kids’ issues, but few back it up,” said Bruce Lesley, president of the Campaign for Children. “Champions and Defenders delivered for kids.”

The advocacy organization recognized 50 Members of Congress as “Champions for Children” for their extraordinary efforts to protect and improve the future of America’s next generation. An additional 50 Members were recognized as “Defenders of Children” for their support of policies that advance the well-being of children.

In selecting Champions and Defenders, the First Focus Campaign for Children noted leaders who introduced, co-sponsored, and voted for legislation to meet children’s needs. In addition, the organization considered Members who demonstrated extraordinary initiative by spearheading activities such as sponsoring hearings or garnering the support of their colleagues to improve the lives of children. The 2015 Champions and Defenders are:

2015 Champions for Children

Senate

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Bob Casey (D-PA)

Susan Collins (R-ME)

Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Al Franken (D-MN)

Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

Mazie Hirono (D-HI)

Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

Patty Murray (D-WA)

Rob Portman (R-OH)

Jack Reed (D-RI)

Harry Reid (D-NV)

Ron Wyden (D-OR)

House

Karen Bass (D-CA)

Judy Chu (D-CA)

David Cicilline (D-RI)

Katherine Clark (D-MA)

Steve Cohen (D-TN)

Danny Davis (D-IL)

Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)

Suzan DelBene (D-WA)

Ted Deutch (D-FL)

Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Keith Ellison (D-MN)

Chris Gibson (R-NY)

Gene Green (D-TX)

Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)

Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL)

Richard Hanna (R-NY)

Mike Honda (D-CA)

Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

Ann Kuster (D-NH)

Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Alan Lowenthal (D-CA)

Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)

Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

Doris Matsui (D-CA)

Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Jim McDermott (D-WA)

Jim McGovern (D-MA)

Gwen Moore (D-WI)

Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)

Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)

Steve Stivers (R-OH)

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

2015 Defenders of Children

Senate

Cory Booker (D-NJ)

Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Tom Carper (D-DE)

Chris Coons (D-DE)

Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

Dean Heller (R-NV)

Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Ed Markey (D-MA)

Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

House

Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Tony Cárdenas (D-CA)

John Conyers (D-MI)

Rodney Davis (R-IL)

Susan Davis (D-CA)

Charlie Dent (R-PA)

Bob Dold (R-IL)

Donna Edwards (D-MD)

Eliot Engel (D-NY)

Elizabeth Esty (D-CT)

Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Derek Kilmer (D-WA)

Jim Langevin (D-RI)

Sandy Levin (D-MI)

John Lewis (D-GA)

Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)

Nita Lowey (D-NY)

Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY)

Patrick Murphy (D-FL)

Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

Mark Pocan (D-WI)

Jared Polis (D-CO)

Dave Reichert (R-WA)

Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

Adam Schiff (D-CA)

Bobby Scott (D-VA)

Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Mike Thompson (D-CA)

Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Juan Vargas (D-CA)

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

Frederica Wilson (D-FL)

John Yarmuth (D-KY)

This is the Campaign for Children’s sixth annual class of Champions for Children. For more information about past honorees, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, today sent a letter to members of the United States Senate urging passage of legislation to reauthorize federal primary and secondary education initiatives. A passage vote is expected today on the Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177), championed by Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Washington).

“It’s been 13 years since Congress updated America’s education law – action is well overdue, and we applaud Chairman Alexander and Senator Murray for finding a path forward,” said Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

As the letter observes, the bill makes important improvements:

• Requires, for the first time, that districts begin integrating early childhood initiatives with K-12 education;
• Addresses the critical issue of “school climate” – a priority not only on safety concerns, but also concerns about disparate treatment of kids of color (who already face an alarming school achievement gap) in suspension, expulsion, and other discipline actions;
• Improves teacher professional development in Title II, giving districts the opportunity to increase their investments in recruiting, training, developing, and retaining good teachers;
• Adopts an amendment by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) making federal funds available to hire a coordinator charged with ensuring that students get maximum benefit from nutrition assistance, health care, or other supportive services delivered through community partnerships;
• Adopts an amendment by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Sen. Brown to support district and school efforts to establish community schools, by partnering with community organizations to better meet students’ needs, and;
• Adopts an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) aimed at helping more than one million homeless K-12 students, many of whom do not receive critical supportive services from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), because of a complex HUD definition and policy.

“The Senate must pass this bill to keep making progress toward reform,” said Lesley.

The letter notes that the legislation is not perfect. If adopted by the Senate, both chambers of Congress would appoint bipartisan “conference committee” negotiators tasked with developing a final package. The Campaign for Children urged lawmakers to consider specific improvements:

• Adding specific funding authorizations, as the Senate bill does not denote funding levels for any specific policy initiatives, tacitly accepting congressional budget caps that resulted in a nearly 20 percent cut to federal education funding over the last five years;
• Adding a federal teacher qualification standard, as the bill does nothing to guarantee that taxpayer funds are invested only in teachers with specific minimum qualifications;
• Strengthening anti-bullying policy, as the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) to require effective prevention and response to the bullying of LGBT children;
• Make data-informed investments, as the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) requiring schools to identify resource gaps affecting student achievement – from not having counselors to not having science courses – and plan to close those gaps;
• Help kids succeed from the start, as the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) to make high-quality pre-Kindergarten affordable for more children, increasing the likelihood that they will enter Kindergarten ready to learn.

“No Child Left Behind failed because Congress matched high expectations with lowball funding – the question now is whether Congress has learned its lesson,” said Lesley.

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

Breaking News!

Access to high-quality preschool for all 4-year-olds in low-income families is being considerered as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act funding bill. Take action now »

Dear Friend,

Decades of research proves that children who attend high-quality preschool are less likely to be held back in school, require remedial education, engage in criminal activity, or become dependent on public assistance later in life. And they are more likely to graduate from high school and earn more as adults. Despite these benefits, millions of children from low-income families lack access to high-quality preschool.

We are excited to report that high-quality, full-day preschool for all low-income 4-year-olds was just offered by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) in an amendment to the education funding bill. The Senate is debating this legislation this week, so we need to take action immediately. There are a couple of ways to take action. (more…)

On July 2nd, 2015, First Focus Campaign for Children sent this letter in support of The Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act (H.R. 2751). The act would establish an 11-person committee to reexamine the federal government's commitment to Native children, and propose policy solutions to better serve them. If adopted, this bill could dramatically improve the lives of Native kids nationwide.

Washington – The United States House of Representatives today passed a $210 billion legislative package intended to fix a widely-lamented Medicare provider payment system. The bill also extends the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV) for two years. CHIP is widely credited with reducing the uninsured rate for children to record levels, even in the wake of a recession that cost millions of children their employer-sponsored healthcare. MIECHV is a voluntary, evidence-based initiative providing coaching and support for new parents. Home visiting has been shown to improve the health and development of children, while increasing children’s school readiness and their family’s economic stability.

Today’s vote clears the legislation for consideration in the U.S. Senate. Every U.S. Senate Democrat has cosponsored legislation that would extend CHIP for four years. Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee issued a joint statement recently, indicating that a four-year CHIP extension was essential to securing bipartisan support for the Medicare package. Several other senators have made similar public statements.

Responding to the House vote, the First Focus Campaign for Children issued the following statement from its president, Bruce Lesley:

“Today’s vote is an important step forward for children. In extending the bipartisan home visiting program for two-years, it protects an effective investment in the future of more than 100,000 families. Today’s vote also moves the debate to the Senate, creating an opportunity to secure the health care of 8 million children with a four-year CHIP extension.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.