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Campaigns2020-07-08T18:37:12-05:00

Campaigns – Speak Up for Children

Established in 1992, the Children’s Defense Fund-New York office has taken a unique approach to improving conditions for children, combining research, public education, policy development, community organizing, and advocacy. A recognized authority in the endeavor to protect children and strengthen families, CDF-NY serves as a resource and partner for children, families, and organizations throughout New York City and State. We leverage our national influence to eliminate the harmful and disproportionate impact that poverty has on children in New York and to eliminate race and gender inequities.

View spotlights of some of our national and New York campaigns to learn more about how you can have a direct impact in a focus area that is most compelling to you.

End Child Poverty Now

End Child Poverty Now-New York is a campaign designed to solve the urgent and preventable crisis of child poverty in the nation and New York State. The second edition of the Children’s Defense Fund’s Ending Child Poverty Now (2019) report updates our earlier 2015 study and issues another call for an immediate reduction in child poverty.

By investing an additional 1.4 percent of our federal budget into existing programs and policies, we can cut child poverty at least 57 percent nationally and 58 percent in New York, lift 5.5 million children out of poverty, and help 95 percent of all poor children.

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Raise the Age

Raise the Age-New York is a campaign designed to increase public awareness around New York’s pressing need to implement a comprehensive approach to raise the age of criminal responsibility so that the legal process responds to all children as children.

CDF-New York successfully advocated for raising the age of criminal responsibility and continues to advocate for the appropriate implementation of Raise the Age.

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End Lead Poisoning

CDF-New York’s End Lead Poisoning Now is a campaign that seeks to end childhood lead poisoning in New York City and state where the rate of children with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in some neighborhoods is 5 or 6 times higher than Flint’s peak rate.

Lead poisoning is a completely preventable but irreversible condition that impacts children for a lifetime. Even children with the lowest detectable blood lead levels may develop permanent neurological damage and lifelong behavioral disorders. CDF-New York is committed to ending the high rates of lead impacting New York children.

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Dignity in Schools

The Dignity in Schools Campaign-New York is part of a national movement to end the school-to-prison pipeline found in our New York State public schools and replace it with an education system that supports alternatives to the culture of zero-tolerance, punishment, criminalization, and oppression.

CDF-New York is taking action as part of a multi-party coalition attempting to change New York City’s school discipline policies that create a negative school environment and pushes thousands of students out of school each year, increasing the number of children who drop out or fall behind.

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Solution Not Suspension

The Solution not Suspension Campaign-New York continues to fight to improve school climate and stop the school to prison and deportation pipeline throughout New York State.

CDF-NY serves on the Solutions not Suspension Coalition made up of advocates, organizers, student leaders, education attorneys, and direct service providers to address this growing problem in our state.

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