Our Leave No Child Behind^® Mission

The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind^® mission is 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 and independent 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 preventive investments before they get sick, drop out of school, get into trouble 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.

Juvenile Justice Reform Efforts

The Children’s Defense Fund – New York’s ultimate vision for the juvenile justice system is one that is locally based and where community-based preventive intervention and treatment programs are so prevalent that society considers these community programs to be the norm rather than an “alternative” for young people who come in conflict with the law.  The current juvenile justice system in New York is not only broken, it is an expensive program that almost guarantees re-arrest and re-incarceration.  At a cost of almost $210,000 a year per youth, and a re-arrest rate of 75 percent within three years of release, New York is funneling money into one of the surest pipelines to the adult prison system. 

For the first time we feel that there is real momentum to make our vision for the juvenile justice system a reality.  The release of the Governor’s Task Force report and the disturbing findings of the U.S. Department of Justice about the abusive conditions at state youth prisons are providing a new sense of urgency and helping key leaders generate the support they need to take action.  But, state budget cuts are threatening community-based alternative and youth programs.  Join CDF-NY and other partners in a campaign to transform the system by attending an advocacy day in Albany on March 2, 2010. To register, click here.

For more information about the juvenile justice system and CDF-NY’s campaign to transform the system, click on the juvenile justice link in the menu on the left. 

Click here for an overview of this issue.  

Governor's Budget Threatens Youth Services

In times of challenge and uncertainty, like the one we are facing now, New York State needs leaders who are willing to be courageous and forward thinking.  The Governor’s Executive Budget for 2010 – 2011, which proposes to close the $7.4 billion budget gap, includes some positive initiatives and in some cases protects critical children’s services. However, the Governor missed important opportunities to achieve long-term savings by supporting innovative policies and programs that have been proven effective in addressing the challenges of vulnerable children and youth. 

Click here for CDF-NY's statement and summary of the Governor's Executive Budget proposal.

Click here for CDF-NY's statement and summary of the health provisions in the proposed budget. 

In summary, our position is that:

The budget must focus on long- and short-term savings.  Reducing programs that prevent the need for more expensive and intrusive interventions does not make fiscal sense.Restore proposed cuts to alternative-to-detention and home visiting programs.   

Poor children and families are feeling the economic downturn more deeply than other New Yorkers and the budget must not weaken the safety net that keeps them from plunging further into poverty.Restore proposed cuts to advantage after-school and summer youth employment programs.   

The final budget must include revenue proposals that will help alleviate the need for programmatic cuts. Support the proposed sugar-sweetened beverage tax.

Click here to learn more about our specific priorities.  

Mayor's Budget Proposal Does Not Protect Children

The Mayor's Preliminary Budget, releasted on January 28th, proposes some positive actions that look towards improving future outcomes for youth while also saving taxpayer money. However, the budget also contains the sigificant cuts to critical services that keep children safe, healthy and prepared for a successful future.

Click here for more details on the city budget proposal:

http://www.cdfny.org/images/stories/pdf/statement%20and%20summary%20final%202-1-10.pdf

Protect New York Children's Health Coverage!

We have been working hard to make sure that Congress protects CHIP so that we can continue to offer Child Health Plus coverage in New York.  Unfortunately, our battle to protect children's health coverage is now on two fronts: the national and state levels.

Click here to learn more about why CHPlus is a GOOD, cost effective investment.  

 New York's children Shouldn't end up worse off after Federal health care reform

Haga clic aqui para leer esta mensaje en espanol.

Thank you so much to all who joined us last week for our Stroller Brigade to protect children's health insurance. We are so grateful to you for joining us in raising our voices and telling Senators Schumer and Gillibrand that they need to stand up and become champions for children.

But, our work has only just begun. The House version of the Bill that was passed this weekend eliminates the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 2013 and will force all children into the health Exchange. This will weaken New York's child health insurance system. That is why we must now focus our attention on ensuring that the Senate protects CHIP and provides children with affordable, comprehensive and accessible health coverage. Click here to learn more about what health care reform must include for our children.

¡Hay que Arreglar el Sistema de Servicios de Salud Para los Niños!

Muchas gracias a todos los que se unieron con nosotros la semana pasada en nuestra Brigada de Coches Infantiles para exigir que los niños estén en mejores – no en peores – condiciones después de la Reforma de Seguro Médico. Estamos muy agradecidos a ustedes por unirse con nosotros en elevar nuestras voces y decirles a los senadores Schumer y Gillibrand que necesitan ser campeones por los niños.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO JOINED US FOR THIS VERY SPECIAL EVENT 

The CDF Beat the Odds program was initiated by the Children’s Defense Fund in 1990 to celebrate the positive potential of young people. Too often we hear about teenagers getting into trouble, dropping out of school, becoming involved with drugs, crime or gangs, or becoming parents too soon. Rarely recognized are the many young people who do well despite facing overwhelming obstacles such as poverty, violence, homelessness, family breakup, or substance abuse that can stand in the way of even the smallest achievements.

CDF-NY worked with local education advocates to select and honor four students who demonstrated academic excellence and have the strength and determination to "beat the odds." They were honored for their personal achievements in their struggles to improve their own lives as well as the lives of others. At our special awards ceremony on November 17, 2009, CDF-NY celebrated the remarkable lives of these young people and the families, friends, teachers and counselors who have helped them succeed. Each student was given a $5,000 award to help with college expenses. 

2009 CDF-New York Beat the Odds Award Breakfast

November 17, 2009
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Sullivan & Cromwell, LLC
125 Broad Street, 2nd Floor
New York, New York

For more information, please contact Robyn Furman at (212) 697-2323 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you were unable to attend the event, but would still like to support the Beat the Odds program, please consider a tax-deductible donation to CDF-New York.

April 7, 2009
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month 
Child Advocates, Service Providers and Youth Rally to Protect Children

In response to proposed budget cuts to the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), more than 150 people rallied to call on the Mayor and City Council to restore budget cuts and make sure that ACS and community-based services have the capacity to protect children and keep families together.

Click here for CDF-NY’s testimony on the ACS budget cuts. 

More than 400 people attended CDF-NY’s February 2009 summit, "Connecting the Neighborhood-based Dots: Promoting Solutions to Dismantle the Pipeline to Prison." The summit focused on public awareness regarding the systemic issues that are driving children from New York’s poorest communities into juvenile detention centers, the need to invest in successful community-based alternatives to detention, and promising solutions and neighborhood-based approaches to dismantling the pipeline.

CDF-NY partnered with the Justice Mapping Center to produce a series of community maps for the summit that dramatically depicted the geographic concentrations of poverty, racial segregation, failing schools, high school suspensions, foster care placement and juvenile detention. Speakers (including youth participants) presented recommendations and solutions to dismantle the pipeline such as creating safe and respectful school cultures and re-directing resources from youth jails to community-based alternatives for young people.

Prior to the event, staff from CDF-NY and the Center for Women's Development at Medgar Evers College conducted eight interactive workshops with different groups of youth (totaling over 100 youth) to generate and prioritize policy recommendations.  The day culminated with a youth panel presenting policy recommendations for dismantling the pipeline. 

CDF-NY plans to use solutions and recommendations from the summit to implement an action plan to dismantle the pipeline in New York.  We hope you will join with us in this important work.  In order to take our next steps, CDF-NY is convening a work group to examine the link between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and to take concrete steps to keep young people out of these systems. 

If you are interested in becoming involved in this work group, please email Jennifer Marino Rojas, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Mishi Faruqee, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Also, please email Mishi if you are interested in getting involved in coalitions to promote juvenile justice reform and positive school safety and discipline policies.

Learn more about CDF's Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign 

Summit Powerpoint Presentations

Click here for "Youth Panel Policy Recommendations"

Click here for "Framing the Pipeline to Prison"

Click here for "Jobs Not Jail - Reinvestment"

Click here for "East Freedom Connection"

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.