Cara Baldari Vice President, Family Economics, Housing and Homelessness
Cara Baldari is the Vice President of Family Economics, Housing and Homelessness at First Focus on Children. In this role, she leads the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group, of which First Focus is a founding member.
Her work centers on building the political will for a national commitment to reduce child poverty in the United States. In 2016, she helped to secure federal appropriations funding for a landmark consensus study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty, released in February 2019.
Through her work, she advocates on a cross-sector set of policies to address child poverty and homelessness, including cash assistance, income supports, hunger and nutrition programs, homelessness assistance, and more.
Cara received a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
Key Stats on the Effect of COVID-19 on Kids
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Averi Pakulis, Cara Baldari, Carrie Fitzgerald, Christopher Towner, Conor Sasner, Kathy Sacco, Michelle Dallafior, Miriam Abaya, Olivia Gomez | November 19, 2020 |
The COVID-19 pandemic is doing more than exposing the racial, ethnic, and economic disparities existing in our society; it is compounding them, and so …
Child poverty surpasses pre-pandemic levels, with 2.5 million more children in poverty since May 2020
Cara Baldari | October 16, 2020 |
Journalist Jason DeParle of the New York Times is one of the leading media voices covering child poverty in the United States, and in …
With COVID, the case for a child allowance becomes even clearer
Cara Baldari, First Focus Campaign for Children | August 27, 2020 |
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, child poverty in the United States remained stubbornly high. The outbreak of the pandemic and resulting economic crisis …
Rep. Barbara Lee & Ezra Klein ask “What would it take to end child poverty in America?”
Cara Baldari, Tim Smith | August 26, 2020 |
On a recent episode of The Ezra Klein Show, the host had a very specific question for Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) — how do …
Congress Must Act Quickly to Pass Additional Relief for Struggling Children and Families
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Averi Pakulis, Bruce Lesley, Cara Baldari, Carrie Fitzgerald, Christopher Towner, Claire Williams, Conor Sasner, Michelle Dallafior, Olivia Gomez, First Focus Campaign for Children | August 10, 2020 |
Given recent spikes in COVID-19 caseloads, an economic crisis that continues to deepen, and an upcoming school year faced with daunting challenges, it is …
Comment on the continuation of the Household Pulse Survey
Averi Pakulis, Cara Baldari, Christopher Towner, Olivia Gomez | July 31, 2020 |
First Focus on Children submitted the following comment to the Office of Management and Budget. Excerpt: The coronavirus pandemic has hit the United States …
President Trump doesn’t think all kids count. We disagree (and so does the Constitution).
Cara Baldari | July 28, 2020 |
One of the key tenets of the work of First Focus on Children is that the well-being of every child matters. Thus, we were …
This Children’s Week, Let’s Ensure No Child Goes Uncounted
Cara Baldari | June 15, 2020 |
Every child in America deserves the chance to thrive. Yet we know too often, children in our society are underfunded and underprioritized. The sad …
Fact Sheet: Aid to Children and Families in the HEROES Act (H.R. 6800)
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, Averi Pakulis, Bruce Lesley, Cara Baldari, Carrie Fitzgerald, Christopher Towner, Drew Aherne (Former Staff), Michelle Dallafior | May 22, 2020 |
As part of ongoing efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting economic crisis, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic …
Comment: Proposed change to National School Lunch & Breakfast Program would weaken school nutrition standards
Bruce Lesley, Cara Baldari | April 22, 2020 |
First Focus on Children submitted the following comments in strong opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Simplifying Meal Service and Monitoring Requirements …