Children's Budget Summit
On July 20, First Focus hosted a Children’s Budget Summit for children’s advocacy organizations, to address the dwindling share of spending on children in the federal Budget.
In early 2007, the Urban Institute issued a report with support from First Focus that showed federal domestic spending on children has declined by 23% from 1960 until today. As a follow-up to that report, and with growing concern about how children will fare in coming years, the advocacy community convened at the National Press Club to discuss the formation of a Children’s Budget Alliance.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) gave the keynote address and Dr. Frank Luntz discussed new public opinion research on what language is most effective in communicating children’s issues. In addition, speakers featured Gene Steuerle, Senior fellow at The Urban Institute, Kristen Grimm, founder and President of Spitfire Strategies, and a panel discussion featuring Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, Barbara Best, Texas Executive Director of the Children's Defense Fund, and David Callahan, Director of Government Affairs with the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
Materials
- Read Senator Jack Reed’s remarks at the Summit
- View Frank Luntz’s PowerPoint presentation
- View Luntz's advocate memorandum on the Language to Make Children a Budget Priority
- View Kristen Grimm’s PowerPoint presentation
- View Barbara Best’s PowerPoint presentation
- View Elizabeth Burke Bryant’s PowerPoint presentation
Resources
Click Here to view the results of the National survey conducted by pollster Frank Luntz
Click Here to read the Urban Institue report on how children fare in the federal budget
- Click Here to see The Forum for Youth Investment page on child and youth budgets
- Click Here to see New America's page on the Child Well-Being Index
- Click Here to see the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count page on child indicators
