First Focus hosted the third national Children’s Budget Summit on July 21, 2011 to galvanize children’s advocates, the media, Members of Congress, and the public to protect the best interests of children as our nation finds solutions to our budget challenges. At the event, two new publications were released: Children’s Budget 2011 and Kids’ Share 2011.

The theme for this year’s Children’s Budget Summit was “Perspectives on Children as a National Priority. Speakers for the summit were selected to represent a variety of viewpoints from different sectors of society and included Members of Congress, journalists, advocates, and state and local government officials.

VIEW VIDEOS AND DOWNLOAD RESOURCES FROM THE SUMMIT:

 

Perspective: The Administration

 

Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council – Video: Remarks by Melody Barnes (Part I) – Video: Remarks by Melody Barnes (Part II) – Video: Remarks by Melody Barnes (Part III)

Champion for Children Award Presentation   Senator Patty Murray, Senator Robert Menendez, and Representative Danny Davis – Video: Remarks by Senator Murray (Part I) – Video: Remarks by Senator Murray (Part II) – Video: Remarks by Robert Menendez (Part I) – Video: Remarks by Senator Menendez (Part II) – Video: Remarks by Representative Davis Perspective: Public Opinion   David Walker, Vice President at Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research –  David Walker’s Presentation – Video: Remarks by David Walker (Part I) – Video: Remarks by David Walker (Part II)

Perspective: Child Advocate David Lawrence, The Children’s Movement of Florida – Video: Remarks by David Lawrence (Part I) – Video: Remarks by David Lawrence (Part II) – Video: I am Florida – Video: Remarks by David Lawrence (Part III)

Perspective: Author and Thought Leader

 

David Kirp, author of Kids’ First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming Children’s Lives and America’s Future – Video: Remarks by David Kirp (Part I) – Video: Remarks by David Kirp (Part II)

Release of Children’s Budget 2011

 

Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus – PowerPoint: Bruce Lesley’s Presentation – Video: Remarks by Bruce Lesley (Part I) – Video: Remarks by Bruce Lesley (Part II) – Video: Remarks by Bruce Lesley (Part III)

Release of Kids’ Share 2011  

Julia Isaacs, The Brookings Institution and Eugene Steuerle, The Urban Institute – Report: Kids’ Share 2011 – PowerPoint: Julia Isaacs and Eugene Steuerle’s Presentation

Perspective: State and Local Policymakers

 

Nebraska State Senator Jeremy Nordquist and Commissioner Mike Carpenter, Shelby County Tennessee

Perspective: The Media

 

Julie Rovner, Health Policy Correspondent at NPR and Jamal Simmons, Principal at The Raben Group – Video: Remarks by Julie Rovner – Video: Remarks by Jamal Simmons

Messaging to Make Children a Priority

 

Nationally renowned messaging expert, Dr. Drew Westen – Video: Remarks by Dr. Westen (Part I) – Video: Remarks by Dr. Westen (Part II) – Video: Remarks by Dr. Westen (Part III) – Video: Remarks by Dr. Westen (Part IV) – Video: Remarks by Dr. Westen (Part V) – Remarks by Dr. Westen

For more information about this event, please contact Katie Peters, Vice President of Communications at First Focus. (KatieP@firstfocus.net or 202.675.0685)

***** First Focus would like to thank the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for its support of Children’s Budget 2011, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation for its support for Kids’ Share. We also wish to acknowledge the support of the Atlantic Philanthropies, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Foundation for Child Development, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Mailman Foundation and an anonymous funder for their support in making this event possible.