The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are a priority in federal policy and budget decisions.
The Campaign for Children presses for policy changes to improve the well-being and protect the rights of the next generation of America’s leaders. Our advocacy is focused in the areas of child health, education, early childhood, family economics, child welfare, immigration, and child safety, in addition to tax and budget policies that lift children out of poverty. In all our advocacy, we seek to increase the federal investment in programs that support and protect our nation’s most precious resource, our children.
Holding Politicians Accountable
Candidates often talk about how they will build a better life for our children, but once elected, they often do little for kids. The First Focus Campaign for Children holds our elected officials accountable for promises made on the campaign trail. In virtually every state, we work to ensure voters know where their representatives stand on the key issues affecting children. Our goal is an educated electorate that is motivated to cast their vote for those who do well by America’s children.
Acknowledging Champions for Children
The First Focus Campaign for Children also acknowledges those who are steadfast supporters of improving the lives of our children. We recognize champions for children in various ways.
Polling & Messaging
In the children’s advocacy community, the First Focus Campaign for Children is the seminal organization for communications and messaging training. We work with leading pollsters and messaging experts to develop messages that move people to act on legislative issues. We share our findings with our network of local, state, and national advocates, to ensure that policymakers are hearing about the needs of our children in a unified voice.
Organizing Grassroots
The First Focus Campaign for Children works with affiliate organizations in over 30 states to ensure that elected officials are not only hearing about the importance of issues related to children from advocates in Washington but from their constituents as well. Our partnership with state organizations is aimed at elevating the visibility children in the political discourse. State forums, town hall meetings, candidate questionnaires, advertising, and other activates are used to achieve this goal.
Our state advocate partners expand the reach and influence, of the Campaign for Children. Collaboration with our state groups involves election work, media events, issue forums, sign-on letters, and legislative advocacy, among other activities. In addition, the Campaign for Children engages a cadre of local advocates throughout the nation, who are ready to take action on a variety of issues that affect children.