Social & Emotional Development

July 19, 2019

I was devastated by the loss earlier this year of Dr. Donald Stewart. He and his wife Isabel Carter Stewart have been among my dearest, dearest friends. Donald served as president of my alma mater Spelman College from 1976 to 1986, overlapping with my own tenure on Spelman’s Board of Trustees and...

MomsRising Together

Marian Wright Edelman

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Immigration Politics & Policy Social & Emotional Development

July 17, 2019

There are parents across the nation holding their scared children tight right now, children who are terrified of what tomorrow could bring. It’s not an imaginary “monster under the bed” terrifying these kids; it’s the real life monsters created by the Trump Administration that are coming after...

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Jeannina Perez

Childcare & Early Education Social & Emotional Development

July 12, 2019

Next week, clergy, seminarians, religious educators, community organizers, young adult leaders and other faith-based advocates in the intergenerational, interracial, multi-ethnic, ecumenical community pursuing justice for our nation’s children will come together at the Children’s Defense Fund’s...

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Marian Wright Edelman

Social & Emotional Development

July 3, 2019

This Fourth of July I am returning to the wise words of my late friend Dr. Vincent Harding, the revered historian, theologian, social justice activist, and visionary who never lost sight of the “beloved community” his friend and colleague Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed our nation and world...

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Marian Wright Edelman

Childcare & Early Education Politics & Policy Social & Emotional Development

June 21, 2019

What kind of pizza are you? What does the kind of pet you have say about your personality? Which U.S. city is your perfect fit? Quizzes like these are all over Facebook and other social networks. For kids, online personality tests are as compelling as the Hogwarts Sorting Hat: They define you at...

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Caroline Knorr

Social & Emotional Development

June 21, 2019

MaryLee Allen was a brilliant, passionate, persevering, caring servant leader—not a self-serving leader—committed to helping build a world fit for children. When the Children’s Defense Fund was brand new, I was searching for smart, passionate people to help with our earliest work. One of the very...

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Marian Wright Edelman

Childcare & Early Education Families & The Federal Budget MomsRising Social & Emotional Development

June 20, 2019

Cross-armed and teary-eyed parents sat across from me, listening to me speak about the issues in their children’s classroom. They took a deep unified breath after I stated clearly, “There’s no such thing as a bully in a preschool classroom.” One parent stood to walk out before their partner asked...

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Lina Acosta Sandaal

Childcare & Early Education Social & Emotional Development

May 31, 2019

As the school year ends and families look ahead to summer plans, I hope many will be able to consider travel that is not just a vacation, but an education and inspiration. Several years ago I had the opportunity to take my granddaughters with me to Selma, Alabama, where they got to meet Mrs. Amelia...

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Marian Wright Edelman

Social & Emotional Development

May 24, 2019

I was deeply sorry to hear of the passing of my friend Mayor Unita Blackwell. She was one of a kind. She was always laughing and making other people laugh and she never stopped growing, learning, rolling with the punches, and punching back when she had to. As a civil rights activist, a member of...

MomsRising Together

Marian Wright Edelman

Childcare & Early Education Social & Emotional Development

May 23, 2019

For some kids, summer means getting on the computer and not getting off 'til September. And even though a lot of parents relax their screen limits over the break, allowing a full-on hibernation is just not gonna happen . And it shouldn't. Kids need to get outside, of course. But they also need to...

MomsRising Together

Caroline Knorr