https://www.fcd-us.org/cutting-child-poverty-in-half-and-more-pandemic-era-lessons-from-child-and-family-advocates-and-organizers-webinar/
As part of the Foundation for Child Development’s Social Justice for Young Children Conversation Series, this webinar features panelists discussing the insights of parents, community organizers, and policy advocates. They examine the groundbreaking federal policy changes that achieved unprecedented, yet short-lived, success in reducing child poverty for all children in 2020 and 2021. The discussion draws from the Foundation’s newly released policy paper, Cutting Child Poverty in Half and More: Pandemic-Era Lessons From Child and Family Advocates and Organizers.
The webinar explores the story behind the federal policy changes and the full variety of state responses, including some that have sustained progress and others that have rejected the chance to help children. It brings a racial equity lens to the policies, the federal and state responses, and the parent and caregiver organizing and policy advocacy so central to change. Above all, the webinar focuses on the lessons for advocacy, organizing, and philanthropy that resonate for the panelists as they reflect on the past several years and their work today.
The policy paper distills five key lessons learned from interviews with over 30 organizers and advocates who contributed to the 2020-21 success. Its draws on their insights to inform future efforts to transform federal and state policies on behalf of young children marginalized by racism, xenophobia, and economic inequality and their families and caregivers.
- Center families with lived experience: Learn how centering families, especially those of color and immigrant backgrounds, enhances policy design and implementation.
- Expand coalitions to engage families, care workers, and allies: Discover the power of uniting families, care workers, and allies to build stronger advocacy efforts.
- Build federal-state strategies to achieve equity: Understand the importance of federal and state collaboration to achieve equity and scale.
- Strengthen coalition infrastructure: Gain insights into building robust coalitions with diverse perspectives and strong governance structures.
- Sustain long-term efforts: Recognize the importance of long-term advocacy and organizing to create lasting policy changes.
Download the Policy Paper & Executive Summary
SPEAKER BIOS
The panelists bring deep experience at the intersection of child and family advocacy with racial justice and immigrant justice, and they will draw on the connections and contrasts in offering their insights.
BriTanya Brown
Parent Leader and Early Childhood Organizer, Community Change/Action
BriTanya Brown is the proud mother of boy-girl twins, an early educator, and a childcare visionary at Our Loving Village in Stamford, Texas. In addition to being a residential & center-based childcare educator, she is a national and state-level advocate and community organizer for early care and education for Childcare Changemakers and The Child Care for Every Family Network.
Adriana Cadena
Director, Protecting Immigrant Families
Adriana Cadena is the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) campaign director. She has led the growth of the PIF campaign to a robust national coalition of over 650 member organizations at the intersection of immigration and public benefits, working to increase and expand access for immigrant families. Adriana provides leadership on the coalition’s strategic programmatic direction, policy priorities, community engagement initiatives, coalition building, narrative building, and operations. Adriana drives PIF strategic planning and is responsible for fundraising to achieve PIF’s vision, mission, and goals.
Fred A. Jones Jr.
Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Southern Education Foundation
Fred A. Jones, Jr., is the Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the Southern Education Foundation. He formerly served as the Policy Director at the Aurora Institute, where he led the Center for Policy team, conducted federal and state policy analysis, provided technical assistance to elected officials, and offered strategic guidance to advance the Aurora Institute’s mission.
Vivian Tseng
President and CEO, Foundation for Child Development
Vivian Tseng is president and CEO of the Foundation for Child Development, where she works at the nexus of research, policy, and practice to advance social justice for young children. Previously, she was senior vice president of programs at the William T. Grant Foundation.
Dr. Tseng is recognized for her work on research use in policy, research-practice partnerships, and democratizing evidence, speaking globally on equity-centered, evidence-informed policy. Her research on child development and social change has been published in top journals. She has promoted equitable grantmaking, supported researchers of color and marginalized leaders, and mentored junior colleagues.
Dorian T. Warren
Co-President, Community Change
Dorian T. Warren is the co-president of Community Change/Action. A progressive scholar, organizer, and media personality, Dorian has worked to advance racial, economic, and social justice for over two decades.
Olivia Golden
Moderator, former Senior Policy Advisor, Foundation for Child Development
Dr. Golden supports the Foundation in developing a strategy and program of activities to advance social justice for young children.
Dr. Golden is the former commissioner for children, youth and families and assistant secretary for children and families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She served most recently for almost nine years as the executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy. Over four decades, she has played senior roles in multiple nonprofit and public sector organizations committed to advancing the well-being of children and families, including as the founding director of the District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency, bringing the agency out of court-imposed receivership, and as a senior fellow and institute fellow at the Urban Institute.