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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind® and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventative investments before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.

View a short list of CDF-NY Acomplishments CDF-NY Acomplishments

The Cradle to Prison Pipeline Initiative 

“The Cradle to Prison Pipeline is an urgent national crisis at the intersection of race and poverty that puts Black boys born in 2001 at a one in three lifetime risk of going to prison, and Latino boys born in 2001 at a one in six lifetime risk of the same fate. Tens of thousands of children and teens are sucked into the Pipeline each year.”  (America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline Crisis SM) 

 

What does the pipeline that conducts children from their cradles to prison look like in the State of New York? 

A pipeline is a system through which something is conducted, especially as a means of supply. In New York, a disproportionate number of Black and Latino children are conducted from their childhood through this pipeline to form a seemingly endless supply of prisoners for New York’s detention and correctional facilities. Even when they do not end up in prison, the conspiracy of these forces ravage their hope, their future and their potential. 

“The most dangerous intersection in America for children is the intersection between poverty and race.” (America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline CrisisSM)  

What are the major conductors leading thousands of New York’s children and teens into the Cradle to Prison Pipeline? 

  • Poverty is the largest driving force of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline crisis.
  • Disadvantages in health care increase the risk that poor children and particularly poor children of color will be trapped in the pipeline.
  • Children who do not participate in high-quality early education have higher rates of juvenile delinquency, arrests, and juvenile court petitions.
  • Children in foster care or with a history of abuse and neglect are at higher risk of being trapped in the pipeline.
  • Educational disadvantages make it more likely that children will enter the juvenile justice system.
  • Children of color are disproportionately represented in both the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
  • Between 1979 and 2004, gunfire killed 101,413 children and teens in America, destroying countless families and communities.  

Read more about how New York’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline. (NY fact sheets)

Learn more about Children's Defense Fund's The Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Initiative. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?%20pagename=c2pp%20_report2007)

If you have a story to share about how New York’s cradle to prison pipeline has affected you or a member of your family, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it These stories will help us inform agenda as we move to dismantle New York’s pipeline.

Support the All Healthy Children Act

The Children’s Defense Fund’s national Healthy Child Campaign to enact health insurance coverage for all children in America is gaining momentum. Currently, more than 9 million children in America – almost 90% living in working households and a majority in two-parent families – are uninsured. Nothing could be more critical than guaranteeing that every single child in this country is provided the same package of comprehensive health and mental health coverage. Rep. Bobby Scott from Virginia introduced the All Healthy Children Act (HR 1688). This bill is based on the proposal that CDF developed and has been advocating as part of our Healthy Child campaign. (For more details on CDF’s Comprehensive Healthy Child Proposal go to www.childrensdefense.org/healthychild) To see how you can help turn this plan into a reality, see the attached legislative summaries and endorsement form.

Read The Following Reports in PDF Format

Questions and Answers About the All Healthy Children Act (H.R. 1688)

All Healthy Children Act (H.R. 1688) SIGN ON FORM

Summary of all Healthy Children Act   (H.R. 1688)

All Healthy Children Act: An Achievable, Smart and Right Goal

All Healthy Children Ac, Section by Section

HR 1688 All Healthy Children Act

Recent Reports

summer meals 2007

Summer Meals 2006: New York City Failed Again. Tens of Thousands of Children Underserved, Millions of Federal
Dollars Lost.
new report The Report in PDF Format)



Keeping What They Earned: The High Cost of Tax Preparation and Refund Anticipation Loans (December 2006)
The Report in PDF Format)

 



Coordinating New York’s Medicaid and Food Stamp Programs: Making It Easier for Families to Access the Benefits They Need (December 2006)
( The Report in PDF Format)



Did Your Members of Congress Protect Children? The 2006 Children’s Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard
( The Report in PDF Format)



A Guide to Federal Food Programs: For Community Groups and Social Services Providers
( The Report in PDF Format)

 

 

 

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