First Focus

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In an effort to generate new and innovative ideas to improve child well-being in the United States, First Focus has called upon both seasoned policy thinkers and emerging stars to provide game-changing proposals designed to advance federal children's policy.

The book, entitled Big Ideas: Game-Changers for Children, is a compilation of 17 creative solutions to help develop a national agenda for children’s public policy.

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Download an electronic copy of the entire book.

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The following papers are included in this edition of Big Ideas for Children:

Creating an Agenda for Children:

• From Target to Legislation: Tackling Child Poverty in the United Kingdom—A Model for the United States?
  By Kate Bell

• A National Council on Children: Renewing Our Vision for America’s Future
  By Bruce Lesley and Shadi Houshyar

• What’s the Plan?
  By Elizabeth Gaines and Thaddeus Ferber

• It’s Time to Reestablish the White House Conference on Children and Youth
  By Linda S. Spears and Timothy F. Briceland-Betts

• Big Idea: Youth Councils
  By Thaddeus Ferber

Government Accountability:

• Change in Sight: Child Well-Being as a Policy Development Framework
  By Michael Schmidt and Julie Coffey

• Commission on Children
  By Elaine Zimmerman

• Good Policy Requires Good Data: Assessing Child Well-Being in Every State
  By Michael Laracy, Kristin Anderson Moore, David Murphey and Deborah Stein

• A U.S. National Ombudsman for Children
  By Howard Davidson, JD

• A Champion for Children and Young People: The Work and Impact of the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland

By Tam Baillie

Children and their Rights:

• What Game Are We Playing? The United States and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
  By Don Cipriani, PhD

• Changing the Paradigm: A Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
  By Dana Bunnett

• Top 10 Reasons to Lower the Voting Age
  By Alex Koroknay-Palicz and Keith Mandell

Investing in Our Nation’s Children & Future:

• The Children’s Budget
  By Karen Crompton and Janis Dubno

• Does CBO Need a Nudge to Invest in Our Children?
  By James S. Marks, MD, MPH

• Mobilizing Business Champions for Smart Investments in Young Children
  By Sara Watson and Robert Dugger

• Connecting the Dots: Community Colleges, Children, and Our Country’s Future
  By Elisabeth Mason and Julie Kashen