Interns are an important and valued part of the Children's Defense Fund team. CDF interns gain knowledge, skills, and experience in child policy and gain an insider's view of non-profit advocacy, all while working to achieve the CDF mission of ensuring that all children have a level playing field.

CDF-California offers internship opportunities in both the Los Angeles and Oakland offices.

CDF-Oakland

We are now accepting application for two internship opportunities in Oakland. If you are interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Michele Stillwell-Parvensky at msp@childrensdefense.org. 

Policy Intern

The Policy Intern will support the policy work of CDF-CA on children’s health care coverage and dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Duties may include tracking legislation, note taking, policy research, and drafting and sending letters to policymakers. Interns will also have the option to attend key meetings, webinars, and hearings in Sacramento on policy issues.

Social Media and Communications Intern

The Social Media and Communications Intern will support the communications work of CDF-CA including writing first drafts of letters to the editor and web content; managing CDF-CA's social media presence; posting material to our website; and tracking media coverage and updating media lists. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in key meetings, webinars, and hearings in Sacramento on policy issues.

Internships are unpaid, but we will work with students to arrange academic credit and meet other requirements.

CDF-Los Angeles

If you are interested in internship opportunities in Los Angeles, please send a cover letter, resume and a writing sample (two pages or less) to cdfca@childrensdefense.org. In addition to the below internship, there may be additional opportunities focused on juvenile justice policy, school discipline policy, and youth programs.

Administrative Intern

The Los Angeles Intern, while working independently, is a key member of the CDF-CA team, helping to build strong support for the work of CDF-CA and  dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline.  Specific job responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, administrative support to help improve the administrative operations of the office. This includes updating telephone intake, filing, faxing, mailing and general support of staff. The Intern will have the opportunity to participate in other CDF-CA activities throughout the internship.