Speaking of Kids...

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we’re showcasing the voices and stories of some of our moms at First Focus on Children. Host Messellech Looby shares the mic with First Focus on Children’s Vice President for Early Childhood and Public Health Policy Averi Pakulis, Vice President of Operations Trenessa Freeman, and Vice President of Advocacy and Mobilization Leila Nimatallah to chat about their experiences as moms and the policy challenges they face in their homes and on The Hill. As mothers, they grapple with the idea that their children are growing up in a society that is rolling back hard-won victories for moms and children. As policy wonks, they reflect on the important work they do to secure federal policies that support children and families and the many challenges that lie ahead. Related reading:Blog: Truly Valuing Babies, By Bruce Lesley Blog: Nearly 5 Million Children Have Lost Healthcare Due to Unwinding, by Abuko EstradaFact Sheet: Babies in the Budget, First Focus on Children To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at: Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.orgFind us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_FocusWant to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. 

In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with Abby McCloskey, who directed the Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families, a project bringing together 31 family policy leaders of diverse ideologies and included our co-host Bruce Lesley. The Convergence process issued a final report entitled In This Together: A Cross-Partisan Action Plan to Support Families with Young Children in America.McCloskey discusses some of the collaborative’s cross-partisan policy recommendations, such as creating government structures focused explicitly on children and offering 12 weeks of paid parental leave. McCloskey emphasizes that bringing these recommendations to fruition will require bipartisan effort.Today’s children are in crisis. They face rising maternal and infant mortality rates, a mental health epidemic, a public education system under attack, increasing homelessness, and other challenges. McCloskey outlines the importance of working through political polarization to create bipartisan solutions that address these and other issues affecting our nation’s children. Learn more about the need to prioritize children in policy: Article, Our kids are not OK. Neither is our child policy, Abby McCloskey, Dallas Morning NewsReport: Beyond Rhetoric: A New American Agenda for Children and Families, the National Commission on Children, 1991Article, States With Abortion Bans Are Among Least Supportive for Mothers and Children, Emily Badger, Margot Sanger-Katz and Claire Cain Miller, New York TimesArticle, ‘Couples Therapy,’ but for Politics, Jessica Grose, New York TimesBe sure to check out Abby McCloskey’s website and follow her policy work on X. Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. 

In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with Representative Rosa DeLauro, a top champion for children in Congress and the chair of the babies caucus. Rep. DeLauro, who is the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, has spent decades in Congress and consistently advocated for kids to be a priority in the federal budget. She has been a Champion for Children every year since we began publishing our legislative scorecard. Rep. DeLauro discusses the impact of the Child Tax Credit on child poverty, and says it is on the top of her agenda, along with early childhood education and the Head Start program. Rep. DeLauro tells our hosts that her main concern isn’t the opposition to policies that help children, but the indifference that many policymakers feel. Learn more about policies that help children thrive: Book, The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable, By Representative Rosa DeLauro Blog, Children at the Heart: Why Kids Deserve an Improved Child Tax Credit, By Bruce Lesley Fact Sheet, The Need for Baby Bonds in the United States, First Focus Campaign for Children Be sure to follow Representative DeLauro on X. To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at: Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.orgTwitter: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_FocusWant to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. 

Check out one of our favorite episodes! Hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Professor Luke Shaefer about “Rx Kids,” their innovative program to support pregnant women and infants in Flint, Michigan. Dr. Hanna-Attisha is a pediatrician and activist best known for leading studies that exposed the deadly levels of lead in Flint’s water supply. Dr. Shaefer leads Poverty Solutions, an interdisciplinary initiative at the University of Michigan that partners with communities and policymakers to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty. Their conversation with our hosts centers on the importance of “Rx Kids,” which gives pregnant moms a prenatal allowance and support during the first 12 months of a child's life. By supporting families during their most vulnerable window, the program aims to address a root cause of health equity and opportunity. Read more from Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Dr. Luke Shaefer, and about Rx Kids:Article: I Helped Expose the Lead Crisis in Flint. Here’s What Other Cities Should Do. By Mona Hanna-AttishaArticle: The Future for Flint’s Children, By Mona Hanna-AttishaArticle: I’m Sick of Asking Children to Be Resilient, By Mona Hanna-AttishaArticle: 20 Years Since Welfare 'Reform', By Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke ShaeferArticle: A Simple Approach to Ending Extreme Poverty, By H. Luke Shaefer and Kathryn J. Edin Book: What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, By Mona Hanna-AttishaBook: $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, By Kathryn Edin and H. Luke Shaefer Article: Rx Kids launch takes place in Flint, is almost unbelievable to new Flint moms, by Tanya Article: Rx Kids program aims to tackle poverty to improve health of Flint moms and babies,MSU Today with Russ White Stay up to date with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Luke Shaefer on social media. Follow them on Twitter, @MonaHannaA and @profshaefer. Donate to RxKids on Give Directly. 

In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with poverty experts Megan Curran and Sophie Collyer about the Child Tax Credit. As top researchers at Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy, Collyer and Curran produce groundbreaking work on poverty and the child tax credit. In this episode, they explain why the U.S. needs the Child Tax Credit and help unpack the economic contradictions that place a burden on families. They also discuss the fact that child poverty is a policy decision and explain why lawmakers continually interpret “child-focused” policies around the perceived deservedness of adults. Learn more about child poverty and the child tax credit:Report: A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty, By The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Policy Brief: The Promise of Universal Child Benefits: the Foundational Policy for Economic and Social Development, By The International Labour Organization (ILO) with UNICEF and the Learning for Well-Being Institute and featuring two CPSP co-authors, Megan Curran and David Harris Policy Brief: Children Left Behind by the Child Tax Credit in 2022, By Sophie Collyer Megan Curran, David Harris, and Christopher Wimer. Blog, The Child Tax Credit: Boosting the Lives and Well-Being of Our Children, By Bruce Lesley Be sure to check out the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University and follow them on twitter. To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at: Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.orgTwitter: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_FocusWant to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. 

In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with Representative Suzanne Bonamici. Rep. Bonamici, who has represented Oregon’s 1st district in Congress since 2012, has been an avid Champion for children throughout her career and achieved the #1 slot on First Focus Campaign for Children’s 2023 Legislative Scorecard. The Congresswoman discusses her legislative priorities, including passing the Child Tax Credit, advocating for a strong public education system, ending child hunger, supporting youth experiencing homelessness, and protecting food programs such as SNAP and WIC. She talks about her belief that funding the health, well-being, and safety of children is the best investment our society can make, and offers advice for listeners on how to affect change themselves. Learn more about Rep. Bonamici’s work supporting kids:Blog: Unveiling the 2023 Champions and Defenders of Children: Who Commits to Kids?, By Bruce Lesley Blog: Recognizing Children in the Debate Over Education and Schools, By Bruce Lesley Article: The First Five Things to Know About: Representative Suzanne Bonamici, By The First Five Years FundBe sure to check out Representative Bonamici’s website and follow her on Instagram and Twitter. To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at: Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.orgTwitter: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_FocusWant to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. 

In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Professor Luke Shaefer about “Rx Kids,” their innovative program to support pregnant women and infants in Flint, Michigan. Dr. Hanna-Attisha is a pediatrician and activist  best known for leading studies that exposed  the deadly levels of lead in Flint’s water supply.  Dr. Shaefer leads Poverty Solutions, an interdisciplinary initiative at the University of Michigan that partners with communities and policymakers to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty.  Their conversation with our hosts centers on the importance of  “Rx Kids,” which gives pregnant moms a prenatal allowance and support during the first 12 months of a child's life. By supporting families during their most vulnerable window, the program aims to address a root cause of health equity and opportunity. Read more from Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Dr. Luke Shaefer, and about Rx Kids: Article: I Helped Expose the Lead Crisis in Flint. Here’s What Other Cities Should Do. By Mona Hanna-AttishaArticle: The Future for Flint’s Children, By Mona Hanna-AttishaArticle: I’m Sick of Asking Children to Be Resilient, By Mona Hanna-AttishaArticle: 20 Years Since Welfare 'Reform', By Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke ShaeferArticle: A Simple Approach to Ending Extreme Poverty, By H. Luke Shaefer and Kathryn J. Edin Book: What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, By Mona Hanna-AttishaBook: $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, By Kathryn Edin and H. Luke Shaefer Article: Rx Kids launch takes place in Flint, is almost unbelievable to new Flint moms, by Tanya Article: Rx Kids program aims to tackle poverty to improve health of Flint moms and babies,MSU Today with Russ White Stay up to date with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Luke Shaefer on social media. Follow them on Twitter, @MonaHannaA and @profshaefer. Donate to RxKids on Give Directly. 

In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with pediatrician and former congressional candidate Dr. Annie Andrews and political strategist Renee Harvey about their new political action committee (PAC) for children, Their Future. Our Vote. Dr. Andrews, a children’s hospital doctor, highlighted the invisibility of children in policymaking during her recent run for Congress. When the race didn’t end the way they’d hoped, Harvey and Dr. Andrews created the PAC to offer financial support to urgently needed kid-first policies, such as improving the Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and child care while also opposing efforts to ban books in our public schools and libraries.Learn more about the political and policy challenges faced by children: Blog: The Invisibility of Children: The Other Form of Neglect, by Bruce LesleyArticle: ​​Pediatrician launches new PAC focused on children, by Daniela AltimariStay up to date Dr. Annie Andrews and Renee Harvey on social media. Be sure to check out their PAC website and follow them on Twitter, @HReneeHarvey, @annieandrewsmd, and @Their__Future. To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at: Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.orgTwitter: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_FocusAnd please rate and review this podcast and share it with friends and family.Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. Connect with First Focus Campaign for Children for easy training on how to be a powerful advocate for children. Please consider donating to First Focus on Children to support our work and this podcast here.