Dear Lord be good to me. The sea is so wide and my boat is so small

The Children's Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind^® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. Full Mission Statement »

Governor Brown's revised budget proposal includes devastating cuts to health and human services, as well as other critical programs serving for California's children and their families. Read CDF-CA's press release on the Governor's revised proposal »
Caylin Moore, Beat The Odds finalist, speaks out against the profiling of Black youth that led to the death of Trayvon Martin and disciplinary actions disproportionally targeted at Black students, in a Los Angeles Wave article » Learn about the CDF-CA Youth Summit to reform school discipline »
CDF president Marian Wright Edelman responds to the senseless death of Treyvon Martin. Read “Walking While Black” »
Let's celebrate the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and important health gains for children and young adults in California. Learn more »

Creating Change: National Conference

SAVE THE DATE: The Children’s Defense Fund National Conference,
July 23-25, 2012, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Today, 16.4 million children in the United States live in poverty. Nearly one in four children under the age of five is poor. Together we can and must do better. Join the Children’s Defense Fund as we gather leading experts to present the latest research and best practices to close the gap between what we know works for children and what we do in practice. This one-of-a-kind conference will connect communities of child advocates, young leaders, faith leaders, policymakers, service providers and others to create real change for children at the state, local, and federal levels in 2012 and beyond. Sign-up today to receive information and help us rescue the dream for all of America’s children. Stay connected »