CHILD ADVOCATES CONVENE TO TALK ABOUT INVESTMENTS IN YOUNG

Nation’s largest network child groups hosts more than 125 activists in Berkeley, California

WASHINGTON – Voices for America’s Children (Voices), the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy groups, will convene its annual conference in Berkeley, California with more than 125 attendees from the worlds of advocacy, politics and media. The conference will take place June 23-25 at the Claremont Hotel, 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley.

Forum 2010, “Putting Children First During Hard Times,” will feature speakers, panels and group discussions to help advocates make the case for greater government investment in children, even in the midst of state budget cuts. The event allows Voices’ nationwide advocates network to focus on best ways to bridge racial disparities, respond to state fiscal crises, and discuss policy topics such as health care, education, and child welfare and safety.

Among featured speakers are Heather Higginbottom, White House deputy domestic policy director; Cindy Mann, deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Matt Miller, author, columnist and host of public radio’s “Left, Right and Center”; Dr. Janice L. Cooper, interim director for the National Center for Children in Poverty; Robert Phillips, director of Health and Human Services Department for The California Endowment; and Dr. Glenn Flores, professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at the University of Texas.

“Now, as states face budget shortfalls, is when it’s most important to show how government investment in child programs can make children’s lives better,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO for Voices for America’s Children. “State budgets may be tight, but family budgets are even tighter, and families need strong social services more than ever. Investing in children and families is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes economic sense.”

Kathy Bigsby Moore, executive director of Voices for Children in Nebraska, will receive Voices’ national advocacy award, the Florette Angel Memorial Child Advocacy Award. Moore has been a prominent voice in child advocacy, serving as a foster parent herself and then helping to craft legislation to create the State Foster Care Review Board in Nebraska.

Sponsors of Forum 2010 include BB&T, The California Endowment, Rob Dugger, The M.A. Healy Foundation, McQuade Brennan, LLP, Pitney Bowes Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation and an anonymous donor.

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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.