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© Robert Kneschke
June 2021
Dear Friends,
Three years ago, I founded Leading for Kids with the goal of creating a movement to change how we think, talk, and act on behalf of kids. I was fueled by insights from many of you, which raised numerous questions: why aren’t American kids doing better? Why, despite saying kids are a priority and our future, are our kids so far behind their peers in other developed nations? How can advocates and non-profits better distribute our efforts to raise the priority of kids?
 
To begin to answer these questions, last year we joined forces with the FrameWorks Institute to launch our research project, Building a New Narrative About Our Kids. This project, supported by generous funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Children’s Hospital Association, is designed to to better understand the mindsets we have about kids and to develop tools to help shift these mindsets, increase the importance of kids’ issues, and build our collective responsibility to better address them.
 
Today, I am pleased to share that we have released the first of several reports from the project. It focuses on American mindsets about kids and how these mindsets limit the effectiveness of advocacy messaging. Two significant challenges have emerged that we believe keep children’s issues from being a public priority: first, most social policy issues are not seen as children’s issues; and second, Americans generally assume that individual choices rather than social systems and context shape children’s lives and outcomes.

In the coming months, two additional reports will be released, one looking at how children’s issues are currently being framed by advocates, and the second on how the media frames kids issues. The findings from these three reports will shape the final phase of this work where we will test new ways of talking about kids issues. It is hoped that this new narrative will be more effective in getting past the obstacles mentioned above. 

I encourage you to read through the report, and to reach out via email at David.Alexander@leadingforkids.org or on twitter @LeadingforKids with feedback and conversation about the project. Thank you for your ongoing support of Leading for Kids, and for all you do on behalf of children and young people. I am confident that together, we can build a society that puts kids first!

Be well,
David
David Alexander, M.D.
President, Leading for Kids
(650) 714-6609
what we've been up to
As noted above, together with the FrameWorks Institute, we released the first of several reports from our project, Building a New Narrative About Our Kids.

We are moving forward with the next phase of research—the media and historical analyses, and are partnering with mobilization and implementation groups that will be critical to the distribution and incorporation of relevant communications tools in the last phase of the project.

We continue to seek collaborations with individuals and groups, especially those who are working with young people and where young people are reflected in local policies, programs, laws, and budgets. If you are interested in working with us, either as an implementation or funding partner; please contact David.Alexander@leadingforkids.org.
in case you missed it
resources from the field
parting thoughts
One of challenges identified in the research and shared in our report is that people don’t see most social policy issues as children’s issues. When thinking about children and policy, people think almost exclusively of education and family policy—and when they think about other policy issues like hunger, poverty, and housing, children are out of mind. How can we overcome this obstacle? Who needs to be involved to help shift this perspective?
thank you! let’s stay connected!
Leading for Kids is committed to improving the health and well-being of children by creating a movement to change how we talk about kids, how we can invest wisely and productively in their futures, and how our decision makers can better protect their rights and reflect their voices.