Denied by Design: How Bureaucracy is Hurting Kids and How to Fix It
June 26, 2025
Decades of sustained work to make it easier for kids and families to get care they need is being undermined—and risks harming a whole generation of children. But it’s not too late to turn this around.
Our Handy Guide: What You Can Do for Kids in This Election Cycle
September 5, 2024
Elections are a unique opportunity to educate voters about what kids need and get commitments from candidates. By acting now, you’ll encourage candidates to “think kids”—and be able to hold leaders accountable for their campaign promises once elected.
Youth Engagement: A Key Ingredient for Effective Impact Assessments
March 13, 2024
There is growing interest from elected officials and community leaders in offering young people ways to be involved in their local communities. One strategy that accomplishes this goal is engaging young people in child & youth impact assessments (CYIAs).
Case Stories Show That Impact Assessments Make a Difference for Kids
February 1, 2024
Child & youth impact assessments (CYIAs) are beginning to demonstrate value in elevating the needs of young people in communities across the country. These and other stories highlight the role impact assessments have had in influencing policy decisions that directly affect young people.
Youth Impact Assessments: Helping Elected Officials Improve the Lives of Children & Youth
December 17, 2022
This fact sheet outlines how elected and other government officials at the city, county, state, or federal level can start using YIAs and provides examples of places using them today.
NEW: Youth Impact Assessment Checklist
May 8, 2022
This practical tool is designed to help any community move systematically through the Start-Up, Design, and Implementation phases of organizing youth impact assessment initiatives.
New Fact Sheet: How Youth Impact Assessments Can Help Kids Get Their Fair Share of American Rescue Plan Funding
December 3, 2021
Our newest fact sheet explores how youth impact assessments (YIAs) can help ensure American Rescue Plan funding and other COVID-19 response bills provide more equitable opportunities for all young people.
New U.S. Child Tax Credit Is Big Step for Kids—Let’s Get It Right
June 28, 2021
In a few short weeks, child tax credit checks will arrive in the vast majority of parents’ bank accounts. This is a monumental opportunity for American kids and families, but its success cannot be taken for granted.
Child Impact Assessments Can Help Put Kids at the Forefront of Pandemic Recovery
March 2, 2021
As the nation sets its sights on recovering from the pandemic, we know that policymakers at all levels of government will be making hugely consequential decisions about the future. Child impact assessments can help them ensure they both understand and are responsive to children’s needs.
A “New Normal” for the Country’s Children: How We Can Put Kids’ Needs Front and Center as We Rebuild from the COVID-19 Crisis
May 12, 2020
While the COVID-19 virus does not appear to be as dangerous for most children as it is for adults, the pandemic is nonetheless threatening the future growth and healthy development of children.
Report: Child Impact Assessments: A Missing Piece to Spur Progress for U.S. Children
May 12, 2020
Child impact assessments have been used successfully in other countries and other fields but not yet in the U.S. to achieve shared goals for children. This brief provides background research and an action-oriented roadmap for using child impact assessments at the city, county, and state levels.
Join the Movement to Elect Kid-Friendly Leaders—Here’s How
October 21, 2019
Americans of all ages are sensing that something is wrong—wrong about the way children and families are being treated and wrong about our national priorities that have gone astray. In the next election, we have the chance to change course.
Report: Policymaker Accountability for U.S. Children’s Well-Being
February 25, 2019
Kids Impact Initiative has completed an analysis of policymaker accountability for children’s well-being which finds that strengthening policymaker accountability for kids is more urgent than at any other time in this century.
We Need to Elect Kid-Partisan Leaders Now
October 10, 2018
Today, we have too few examples of acts of bipartisanship in service of our nation’s kids. Instead, we have heated rhetoric and political scorekeeping. Our children are in dire need of kid-partisan champions.
VoyageLA Magazine: Stories that Inspire Us
June 5, 2018
Wendy Lazarus tells how she became a child advocate and why it is the work she loves.
Bring Kids to the Polls with You
May 25, 2018
In every election, people may cast their vote solely based on how well a candidate represents their view on what matters most to them . But what if these voters were to consider prioritizing another issue — one that had implications across partisan divides and policies? Imagine if, before casting a vote, citizens asked themselves what the candidate commits to do for kids.
Digital Exclusion: A Troubling New Form of Student Segregation
May 8, 2018
Five million households with school-aged children in this country don’t have broadband access. The reality that Black and Hispanic children living in low-income households are disproportionately affected is another example of racial segregation in our country.
Will Today’s Young Activists Become Their Generation’s Lifelong Advocates for Change?
March 28, 2018
With their remarkable media and organizing savvy, young activists are changing the gun debate and beginning to hold politicians accountable. But we believe they have even more potential: Our hope is that some of these young people will build on this passion for justice, and in the tradition of past activists, become the next generation of advocates who commit to work over the long term toward a more equal and humane America.
We Measure and Are Accountable for the Things We Care About
December 18, 2017
It’s a fact: As a nation, we measure and hold ourselves accountable when we care about something. If something is important enough to us, we find a way to measure where we stand and use that both to make progress toward an important goal — and to take corrective action if we backslide.
We Can Be the Superheroes America’s Kids Need
September 15, 2017
This summer, the story of a pioneering superhero who saved the world from destruction enthralled and inspired millions. But you don’t need to be Wonder Woman — or any other caped superhuman — to hear the call of those in need, to take action, and to come to their rescue.