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September 2021
Dear Friends,
I’ve often heard that September is the “official” start to the new year: it’s the time when kids head back to school. For many of our nation’s children, this year is even more significant as it marks a return to full-time, in-person learning for the first time since March 2020. Of course, this return to “normalcy” is not without controversy—about mask mandates, vaccination requirements, and discussions of where and how energies and resources should be directed, to academic catch-up or pandemic-related youth mental health support. These debates lead me to wonder whether we are making these decisions with the best interests of kids in mind. As I share in my latest blog post, it also raises the questions of how we as advocates are framing these issues and whether our collective efforts are having the full impact on our kids’ health, safety, and well-being that we hope for.
 
Today, in partnership with the FrameWorks Institute, we are releasing a new report that explores how advocates are talking about issues related to children and young people, and how these messages impact public thinking about our kids. How Are Advocates Talking about Children’s Issues? An Analysis of Field Communications, is structured around recommendations that advocates can use to be more effective in raising awareness of and support for children’s welfare. This is the second report from our project, Building a New Narrative for Our Kids. My colleague at the FrameWorks Institute, Nat Kendall-Taylor, and I just published an opinion piece in Newsweek, underscoring the themes discussed in our first report, Why Aren’t Kids a Policy Priority? The Cultural Mindsets and Attitudes that Keep Kids Off the Public Agenda—that kids must be included in a broader set of policy issues if we hope to address children’s welfare through public policy.
 
I am always grateful to hear from you and look forward to connecting around this new work—reach out to David.Alexander@leadingforkids.org and follow us on twitter @LeadingforKids. Thank you, as always, for your interest and support !

Be well,
David
David Alexander, M.D.
President, Leading for Kids
(650) 714-6609
what we've been up to
As noted above, we have just issued the second report with the FrameWorks Institute from our larger project, Finding a New Narrative for Our Kids. This work investigates the strategies and messaging used by advocates in the field, and builds upon our initial report that explores the cultural mindsets and attitudes of the general public that keep kids off the public agenda. Our third report, to be released in October, will summarize how kids are portrayed in the media, and how this impacts public support for their health and well-being.

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
  • Our opinion piece, authored in partnership with FrameWorks Institute CEO, Nat Kendall-Taylor, was published in Newsweek. Nat and I note that having “a clear link between [policy] and children’s well-being is a powerful step toward ensuring we prioritize younger and future generations in politics.”

  • 14-year old Alana Nesser wrote an opinion piece, published in the Orlando Sentinel, asking adults to keep politics out of schools. As students head back into the classroom, let’s listen to kids and keep their health and safety in mind as we make decisions.


  • Greater than COVID and the American Academy of Pediatrics launched an education campaign about COVID vaccines and kids. Videos feature pediatricians answering questions about who can be vaccinated, why it’s important, background on vaccine research and trials, and where to go to get a vaccine.
 
Recent Blog Posts:




Articles of Note:




resources from the field
parting thoughts
The Center on Poverty and Social Policy reported 59.3 million children were impacted by the first month of payments from the expanded Child Tax Credit, including 3 million children that were kept from poverty. The Child Tax Credit has the potential to impact 90 percent of children in the U.S., including a reduction in the child poverty rate by more than 40 percent. The eligibility requirements are broad but families with children must know about the credit to receive it. Educational campaigns like those in Los Angeles and resources from The Kids Partnership, and getCTC are helping to spread the word. We need more of this outreach and effort so as many children as possible benefit—and then we need to make the Child Tax Credit permanent.
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.