WASHINGTON – Voices for America’s Children, the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, celebrates National Children’s Dental Health Month with a call to action for improving pediatric dental benefits for the 16.5 million children going without dental care each year.

Beginning in 2014, typical health insurance plans must cover certain services and benefits to customers — a victory for children and families won through the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care reform legislation passed in 2010. These essential health benefits are now being decided, and how many services they cover could determine the standard of care American children receive.

“National Children’s Dental Health Month is particularly important this year as federal and state governments work to determine comprehensive the pediatric dental benefit within state essential health benefits packages,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children. “Children have unique dental needs and these cannot go unaddressed during this critical time in our nation’s health care history.”

There are few examples of child-only coverage in today’s market, which adds to the unique challenge of defining the oral health component of the essential health benefits package. States have an opportunity to ensure that all children have access to quality oral health care by ensuring the affordability and comprehensiveness of pediatric dental benefits in their state’s essential health benefits.

“Great strides have been made for child health in the past two years, but much work remains,” said Bentley. “Federal authorities estimate that millions of children are eligible for health services like CHIP but not enrolled.

“Meeting this challenge will require more public education, but states also need to streamline their process for enrolling children,” Bentley added. “We can eliminate unnecessary red-tape in the application process, like mandatory interviews, in order to help children get vital care.”

In partnership with the Campaign for Dental Health, Voices for America’s Children hosts www.ILikeMyTeeth.org, a website that highlights the benefits of community water fluoridation as a proven prevention strategy to fight against childhood tooth decay. The Campaign for Dental Health works with local children’s and oral health advocates, health professionals and scientists to preserve our nation’s gains in oral health.

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 60 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

“Last year’s State of the Union Address memorably urged Americans to ‘win the future.’ But that same year new Census data showed that the child poverty rate had risen to more than one in five,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children (Voices). “As we again turn to the future, we need a new focus on the country’s most important long term investment: America’s children.

“We’re pleased that President Obama chose to devote so much of the State of the Union to education and workforce issues, drawing attention to how we raise, educate and provide for the next generation of workers, caretakers and innovators. We applaud the emphasis Obama put on job creation and job training. Obama’s proposals for slowing the growth of tuition costs are also necessary, not just for our struggling students but the health of our future workforce.”

Bentley added, “We hope Obama’s emphasis on developing the workforce of tomorrow will translate into strong support for early education, children’s health, juvenile justice and child welfare programs in the proposed federal budget Obama will release February 13. All these programs contribute greatly to building an educated work force and all have been hit hard by budget cuts as a part of Washington’s focus on deficit reduction.”

“In addressing the nation’s deficit woes, President Obama is correct to emphasize the values of fairness and shared responsibility for all. Without shared sacrifice, budget cuts will simply come from programs that serve low-income children and families, who lack a corporate lobbyist in Washington. ‘An America Built to Last’ is one that invests in the next generation, tackling not only its federal deficit but the human deficit we stand to run up if programs for America’s children are not protected,” said Charron Townsend, president of Partnership for Children in Missouri and chair of Voices’ Member Leadership Council.

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

Nonprofit coalition brings “American Idol”-style voting to Influence Florida Debates

Florida – A group of child and youth organizations has an innovative, interactive tool to let Floridians influence the upcoming debates, “American Idol” style. http://sparkaction.org/kids2012/florida

America’s children are a quarter of the population and 100 percent of its future, but so far have commanded less than two percent of the debates.

The Kids 2012 Campaign – a nonprofit, nonpartisan collective effort of several leading child and youth organizations – is working to change that in Florida. Its interactive “crowd-sourcing” tool, Florida’s Debates: Ask the Right Questions, Demand Real Answers, invites Florida residents to submit the questions they’d like the candidates to answer. Users then vote for their 5 favorites.

The top-voted questions will be presented to each candidate and the debate hosts before the debates on Jan. 23 and 26.

“We’re calling on all presidential candidates, debate moderators, and state and local campaigns to put Florida’s four million children into the spotlight,” said Roy Miller, president of The Children’s Campaign in Florida.

This appears to be the first time a group of child and youth organizations are using crowd-sourcing technology to help real people’s voices be heard.

The tool was developed by SparkAction.org, a collaborative online journalism and advocacy site to mobilize action by and for young people. SparkAction is managed by the Forum for Youth Investment.

Kids 2012 is a partnership of several leading child and youth organizations, including Voices for America’s Children, the Children’s Leadership Council, the National Collaboration for Youth and the Campaign for Youth.

http://sparkaction.org/kids2012/florida

Twitter hashtag #kids2012

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WASHINGTON –With just 11 months until Election Day 2012, presidential candidates appear eager to debate the future except when it comes to the future generation or issues affecting them. Voices for America’s Children (Voices), the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, is working to change this.

“Today, Voices for America’s Children’s civic engagement project  calls on all presidential candidates, debate moderators, and state and local campaigns across America to put our 74 million children into the spotlight,” said Roy Miller, chair of Voices’ civic engagement project and president of The Children’s Campaign in Florida.

Despite representing a quarter of the country’s population and 100 percent of its future, children’s issues commanded scarcely two percent of the attention in the first 10 presidential candidate debates to date and less of that in total discussion and debate time. That’s according to a new report released by the Child and Family Policy Center in Iowa, Moving America’s Children Into the Spotlight: The Presidential Election As An Opportunity for Dialogue About America’s Future.

The Child and Family Policy Center conducted a content analysis of the transcripts from the first 10 Republican presidential debates, beginning with the Greenville, South Carolina debate on May 5 and concluding with the Spartanburg, South Carolina debate on Nov. 12, with other debates occurring in California, Florida (2), Iowa, Michigan, Nevada and New Hampshire (2). In all debates, the format was for moderators to ask questions for candidate response, sometimes with opportunities for candidates to raise issues with one another. In only one debate was time allotted to candidates for opening and closing statements.  The Child and Family Policy Center (CFPC) is a member of Voices for America’s Children.

“The media has yet to raise questions of how candidates will work to improve the health, safety and well-being of America’s children and what they propose to do with the $374 billion in federal funding currently directed towards these ends,” Charles Bruner, director of the Child and Family Policy Center and co-author of the report, said.

In addition to debate analysis, CFPC also reviewed the candidates’ position statements and ways they presented their policy views on their websites. With rare exception (see Appendix 3 of the report), there is no mention of such policy issues as early childhood education, child welfare, juvenile justice, family economic security, or best ways to address the needs of children with disabilities. In several instances where children were mentioned, it was in the context of government spending and the debt that could be left for children to pay in the future.

“Addressing the nation’s debt is a serious priority,” said Roy Miller.  “The question to the candidates is what options would they support to ensure the health, safety, and protection of the current generation of children in order to achieve that goal?”

The report was sponsored by Voices for America’s Children, a nationwide network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations as part of a larger civic engagement effort.

“The report clearly shows that children and the policy issues that affect their well-being have been relegated to the shadows of the presidential debates so far. Yet Americans think children are far too important to stay in the shadows for long and we are urging candidates and the media to change this conversation in upcoming debates,” said Voices for America’s Children’s President and CEO Bill Bentley.

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Voices for America’s Children (Voices) is the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations with members in 46 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The upcoming 2012 elections present child advocates with a unique opportunity to focus specific attention on children’s issues and educate candidates at all levels about the importance of these issues. Voices’ civic engagement project works with Voices members and other partners to put America’s 74 million children into the Election Day spotlight. Join us in speaking up for kids at www.voices.org. Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

The Child and Family Policy Center (CFPC), a Voices member, was established in 1989 to “link research and policy on issues vital to children and families.” Since that time, CFPC has sought to educate policymakers and the public in Iowa on a wide array of child policy issues – child protection and juvenile justice, child poverty, early childhood education, healthy child development, and closing disparities in children’s opportunities for success. CFPC is a multi-issue, nonpartisan policy center that engages evidenced-based advocacy at the community, state and national levels.

WASHINGTON – Voices for America’s Children, the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy groups, today released the second in a series of reports on student test scores, highlighting alarming disparities in student performance by income, race and disability.

Read the Voices report here: http://voices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Disparities-in-4th-grade-reading-proficiency.pdf

“More than 55 years after American schools were desegregated, appalling disparities still exist between the test scores of children of color and their White schoolmates,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children. “And with students with disabilities and from low-income families also being left behind, it’s clear we must address the achievement gaps plaguing our school system.”

Only one-third of American fourth-graders read at or above a “proficient” level, according to recently released data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress. But children of color and children from low-income families continue to fare even worse, the new report shows.

Only 18 percent of students in low-income families scored “proficient” in the reading test, compared to 48 percent of their peers. And only 16 percent of Black students and 18 percent of Hispanic students read as well as they should, compared to 42 percent of White students. Only 11 percent of fourth-graders with a disability were rated “proficient.”

“The new data from the Department of Education reminds us that troubling disparities remain in our education system,” said John Morgan, executive director of Voices for Virginia’s Children. “Our success as a country depends on all children reaching their full potential.”

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

WASHINGTON – Voices for America’s Children, the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy groups, today urged more policies to promote breastfeeding in light of data that shows that not enough mothers nurse for as long as they should – and that racial disparities exist in these numbers.

“We believe in giving every child the best, healthiest start to life, and with breastfeeding, America could be doing more,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children. “Racial disparities exist in which mothers breastfeed, and most mothers should be nursing for longer.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life and continued breastfeeding for at least the first year. Yet fewer than one in six mothers are exclusively breastfeeding their babies at the end of six months, according to the Surgeon General of the United States.

One racial group, Black, non-Hispanic women, shows a marked drop off in breastfeeding from these already low numbers. Only around 27 percent of Black mothers are still nursing at six months, compared to 43 percent for White mothers.

Child advocates and health experts list many benefits to breastfeeding, including a greater resistance to disease and complications for both child and mother. Recent studies show a strong link between breastfeeding and a lower incidence of obesity as a teen or adult.

Voices recommends greater promotion of breastfeeding and greater support of nursing mothers. Educating fathers, encouraging community programs, raising national awareness, and making sure marketing for formula doesn’t attempt to displace breastfeeding can all help promote nursing.

A Voices issue brief is available online: http://www.voices.org/issues/childrens-health/call-to-action-on-breastfeeding/

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

WASHINGTON – At a time when at least 45 million Americans lack dental insurance, children can pay a hefty price as toothaches or other dental problems hinder their ability to grow, learn and lead healthy lives.  Today, three national organizations launched the Campaign for Dental Health to educate the public about oral health’s importance and the need for states and communities to invest in proven forms of prevention such as water fluoridation.

Voices for America’s Children, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign are among the organizations partnering on the new national campaign, seeking to reinvigorate efforts to expand and preserve water fluoridation.  The Campaign for Dental Health (CDH) will provide reliable, scientific information about oral health and fluoridation, a strategy shown to prevent tooth decay.  One of CDH’s educational tools will be a new web portal called iLikeMyTeeth.org.

Fluoride exists naturally in virtually all water supplies.  Water is “fluoridated” when a public water system adjusts the fluoride to a level known to prevent tooth decay.  The American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are among the many respected organizations that have endorsed fluoridation as a safe, effective way to reduce decay.

Currently, 72 percent of Americans whose homes are connected to public water systems receive drinking water that is fluoridated.  Yet less than half of residents in nine states – Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey , Oregon and Wyoming – have access to fluoridated water.  In all, more than 70 million Americans lack access to fluoridated water.

“Although children’s teeth are healthier overall than they were decades ago, we still have a long way to go,” said Bill Bentley, President and CEO of Voices for America’s Children.  “A study last year showed that nearly one out of seven young children aged 6 to 12 had suffered a toothache in the previous six months.  In a single year, more than 500,000 California children missed at least one day of school due to a dental problem.  Communities should not deprive children of fluoridated water, which is a proven way to fight tooth decay.”

Many people whose water is not fluoridated mistakenly assume that it is.  This lack of awareness, coupled with an increasingly aggressive opposition, presents water fluoridation with its toughest challenge in decades.  Although the overall rate of fluoridation continues to rise, a small but determined band of anti-fluoride activists is actively pressing communities not to fluoridate.  These activists are using the Internet to raise unfounded fears and spread misinformation, ignoring the evidence showing that fluoridation is a safe, effective strategy.

Elected officials in several communities from Alaska to Florida have voted recently to end fluoridation.  Some of these votes were prompted by unfounded fears about safety or the desire to save tax dollars—a goal that is shattered by evidence showing that most cities save $38 for every dollar spent on fluoridation.

“Public policy decisions about health should be based on sound science,” said Shelly Gehshan, director of the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign. “Anti-fluoride activists are using a number of arguments that misrepresent what the research says. Opponents have tried to raise fears about fluoridation’s safety by citing foreign studies of fluoride levels that were at least two or three times higher than the level used to fluoridate U.S. public water systems.”

The CDH’s web portal will help to counter the misinformation that the public is getting from anti-fluoride activists.  The website will also link to FluorideScience.org, another site that will soon go public, providing policy makers and health officials with concise, reliable reviews of the research on fluoride.

Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and reduces decay, benefiting people of all ages and income groups without requiring them to spend extra money or change daily habits.  As fluoridation has expanded to reach more Americans, our nation has seen a significant reduction in cavities and other dental problems. For example, the average number of decayed, filled or missing teeth among 12-year-olds in the U.S. fell 68 percent between 1966 and 1994.

“Children’s teeth are healthier than ever, but pediatricians around the country are still seeing kids, especially those from low-income areas, with high levels of decay,” said Mary Brown, MD, FAAP, an Oregon pediatrician and past board member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  “Expanding fluoridation would really help improve children’s oral health.  It’s such an effective strategy because it doesn’t require families to spend extra money or change their daily routine.”

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org. Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

“Many children who start school behind will never catch up. We are especially pleased to see that the legislation fosters collaboration between early childhood programs and school systems to ensure that children start school ready to succeed,” Voices for America’s Children President and CEO Bill Bentley said. “Our members have been hosting education meetings nationwide for community leaders and policymakers, and the message has been clear: Americans want children to receive first-rate educations and graduate high school ready for college or a career.”

As the legislative process moves forward we encourage the full Senate to continue working in a bipartisan manner in the best interests of children.  As deliberations continue we hope that the following priorities are maintained:

• Intentional alignment between early care and education programs and the public K-12 education system.
• Accountability for vulnerable populations: High standards, assessments, and disaggregated achievement data for all kids, especially low-income children, children of color, children learning English and children with disabilities.
• Continued efforts to reduce achievement gaps.
• Focus on interventions to improve graduation rates and reduce dropout.

The Voices network strongly urges the full Senate to reauthorize a federal education bill that provides adequate funding that incentivizes states to:

• Ensure that all children enter to school ready to learn;
• Promote high academic standards and educational attainment for all students;
• Continue to reduce the achievement gaps; and
• Increase the number of children who graduate from high school ready for college and / or a career.

Voices for America’s Children (Voices) members are conducting education town halls and community meetings in 13 states from Arizona to New York.  Today the Children’s Campaign in Florida will meet with community leaders and Representative Steve Southerland II (R-FL) in Panama City and on October 24 the Children’s Trust of South Carolina will host a meeting in Greenville.

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Senate begins work on education legislation this week, community leaders nationwide are telling policymakers that they want a comprehensive reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In town halls and community meetings held from Arizona to New York, citizens weighed in on the policies most important to promoting learning.

Thirteen Voices for America’s Children (Voices) members are conducting the meetings in states where federal lawmakers serve on education committees or receive Race to the Top funds. The purpose of the meetings is to educate key decision makers and the general public about priorities in the ESEA reauthorization. These meetings are also providing opportunities for Voices members to discuss the importance of high-quality early care to ensure students are ready to learn when they start school.

“Securing America’s economic future requires an educated and productive workforce that starts with children coming to school healthy and equipped for success. As a community- and state-based network, Voices for America’s Children is uniquely positioned to bring child advocates, business and community leaders and policymakers together to not only influence education policy but to become champions for children,” Bill Bentley, president and CEO, Voices for America’s Children.

Bentley added that the meetings are especially timely since the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is expected to begin discussion this week on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). One of the measures Voices is especially supportive of is alignment between early care and education programs and the K-12 system so students begin school better prepared.

A senior staff member from Representative Judy Biggert’s (R-IL) office participated in a meeting with Voices for Illinois Children, and last week the organization held an Illinois KIDS COUNT symposium, “Great at Eight: Investing in the Whole Child from Birth to Eight.”

Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) recently participated in a roundtable discussion with Voices for Virginia’s Children and attended by early childhood advocates and stakeholders from around the state. “Children who start school behind have difficulty catching up – and as much as half of school failure may be attributable to gaps in early learning and development that exist before children begin school,” said John Morgan, executive director of Voices for Virginia’s Children. “We had a good discussion about the importance of building a strong bridge between children’s earliest years and their first four years of elementary school.”

Children’s Action Alliance (CAA), Voices’ member in Arizona, recently co-hosted Rep. Raul Grijalva

(D-AZ) for an education policy discussion that was attended by 80 people, including teachers and activists. “We talked about how ESEA can strengthen early childhood education with strategies like kindergarten entry assessment tools. The audience was so engaged that we all kept going even when a sudden storm wiped out our electricity and we had no lights or microphone!” said Dana Wolfe Naimark, CAA’s president and CEO.

Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) met with Action for Children North Carolina and Advocates for Children of New Jersey met with senior staff from Representatives Rush Holt and Donald Payne.

Thirty educators, civic leaders and advocates joined Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) at a roundtable forum hosted by Westchester Children’s Association (NY). “The Forum was an opportunity to provide vital information to our congressional leaders about the importance of early childhood education, and how federal policy can help all children get a strong start in life and in school,” said Cora Greenberg, executive director of the Westchester Children’s Association. “Education begins at birth and dollars invested in young children provide huge dividends to those children, their families and our entire society.”

The Children’s Campaign in Florida and 10 community leaders met with Representative Kathy Castor (D–FL) in Tampa on September 16 and on October 21 the Children’s Campaign and community leaders will have a roundtable discussion with Representative Steve Southerland II (R-FL) in Panama City.

The Children’s Trust of South Carolina will host a meeting in Greenville on October 24 and another Aiken on November 17. Later this fall, additional meetings and town halls will be hosted by Colorado Children’s Campaign, Voices for Georgia’s Children, Child and Family Policy Center (IA), Michigan’s Children and Voices for Ohio’s Children.

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.

WASHINGTON – Voices for America’s Children, the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy groups, today called for greater support for child care as a new report shows 37 states last year slashed their child care services. The report, released by the National Women’s Law Center, forms the basis of a new infographic on child care in America by Voices.

Click here to see the child care infographic, “Make child care a priority.”

“This new report on child care policies shows that most states are unable to keep up with demand  for affordable, high-quality care rises,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices. “With waiting lists for child care growing nationwide, Congress needs to hear that workers and families need help.”

Federal stimulus package dollars that expanded child care assistance are running out. With federal funding levels for the Child Care Development Block Grant remaining flat, states are being forced to make do with less support for families seeking high-quality, affordable child care so they can pursue work. State policy also plays a strong role, as states set eligibility requirements for child care assistance and determine provider reimbursement rates.

The four states profiled in the Voices infographic saw their waiting lists increase dramatically over the last year. The waiting lists for Arkansas and Colorado are reported at 14,000 and 5,205, respectively.

“Having high-quality, affordable care for children gives parents the flexibility to advance their careers,” said Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a Voices member organization. “With unemployment still over 8 percent in Arkansas, it’s vital that we maintain investments in our children and our families and help meet their economic needs.”

“With over 5,000 eligible Colorado children now on the waiting list for child care subsidies, it’s clear funding for child care has not kept pace with the growing need in Colorado,” said Chris Watney, president and CEO of Colorado Children’s Campaign, a Voices member organization. “The number of children living in poverty in our state has more than doubled since 2000 and access to affordable, safe child care is critical in order for these families to find and keep jobs that allow them to lift themselves out of poverty. For the sake of our children and our economy, Colorado cannot afford to lose any funding for child care services.”

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.