News

Press Releases

175 Advocacy Groups Endorse Bill Protecting Foster Kids from Deportation

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May 20, 2013

Washington – As Congress debates immigration reform, 175 state and national organizations led by the First Focus Campaign for Children today endorsed the Foster Children Opportunity Act (H.R. 2036).

Bipartisan Amendment to Keep Families Together Passes Senate Committee

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May 20, 2013

Washington – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today approved an amendment sponsored by Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to strengthen protections for children in the Senate “Gang of 8” comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 744). The amendment was cosponsored by Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Democratic Senators Chris Coons (Del.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), and by Republican Senators John Cornyn (Texas) and Ted Cruz (Texas).

House Farm Bill Would Make Child Hunger Worse

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May 16, 2013

Washington – The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture voted Wednesday to cut nearly $21 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), an investment that allocates 47 percent of funding to U.S. children. The Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (commonly referred to as the Farm Bill) would also weaken two other child nutrition initiatives: SNAP-Education (“SNAP-Ed”) and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement in response to the vote:

In the News

High Stakes for Children in Immigration Reform

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May 21, 2013
By Alison Burns
Public News Service

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Let's Protect our Children

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January 11, 2013

Let's Protect our ChildrenThis ad calling on Congress to protect critical investments in our children including early childhood, education, and nutrition from upcoming budget negotiations ran in the Jan. 11, 2013 print edition of Politico.

Champions for Children 2012

October 2, 2012

Champions for Children 2012First Focus Campaign for Children recognized the 2012 Champions for Children and Defenders of Children on Tuesday, October, 2012 in Roll Call Newspaper.

A Utah Success Story

June 14, 2012

A Utah Success StoryThis ad ran in UtahPolicy.com, a leading Utah political blog, during the weeks immediately before and following the state's 2012 presidential primary election. We worked with Voices for Utah Children to place the ad, which linked to a page urging policymakers and opinion leaders to reject threats to invest in CHIP.

Top of Our List

Half-Time in America: Time to Reclaim Disconnected Youth

February 16, 2012
By Roberto Viramontes and Lindsay Torrico

If you caught Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl commercial, perhaps you got shivers going up your spine as Eastwood spoke about tough economic times and American perseverance: “Its half time in America too, people are out of work and they’re hurting…and they’re wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback.”

It's a sentiment that resonates with a lot of Americans, but perhaps especially with young people who are not connected to education, training programs or the workforce.

Top 15 Website Resources in 2011

January 11, 2012
By Bruce Lesley

As we enter the new year, we have looked back to review the issues or topics that captured our website vistors’ attention throughout the year. Below we have identified the 15 most popular resources on the First Focus Campaign for Children website in 2011. Here they are:

  • The State Flexibility Act Harms Children, Disrupts Coverage, and Ends CHIP as We Know It by Lisa Shapiro (June 1, 2011 - fact sheet)

It Makes Sense: A Comprehensive Strategies Model within ESEA to Improve Student Achievement

December 19, 2011
By Roberto Viramontes

The challenge of educating our students must not fall on schools alone; the whole community must be engaged. First Focus Campaign for Children works to create policy incentives for closer and strategic collaboration between schools and community entities.