Speaking of Kids...

First Focus on Children
Speaking of Kids...

Who speaks for kids when decisions about their education, health, and safety are being made? You do! Children need our collective attention and voice. You’ve found Speaking of Kids…, a podcast series from First Focus on Children, that uncovers why children are an afterthought in politics. We'll discuss how we can unify our efforts to demand change that will improve the well-being of all our kids. Your hosts are Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby of First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization that aims to make children the priority in federal budget and policy decisions. And when they're not advocating for policy change, they're busy raising their children - seven between them, enough to start a pretty solid basketball team with two subs included. Each episode offers insight on the work being done to prioritize children in government, along with conversations with guests who stand at the center of the most pressing issues facing kids. Conversations to date include careful explorations of children’s rights and how they contrast with the parents’ rights movement, a look at the way Americans think they are prioritizing kids’ interests vs how they really act, the Child Tax Credit, and much, much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. SECOND LOOK: Who’s for Kids, and Who’s Just Kidding? with Celinda Lake

    SEP 18

    SECOND LOOK: Who’s for Kids, and Who’s Just Kidding? with Celinda Lake

    In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with pollster and political strategist Celinda Lake. Lake is President and Founder of Lake Research Partners, a national public opinion and political strategy research firm. Lake walks our hosts through public polling that shows voters strongly favor investing in children and centering them in public policy. The data contradicts lawmakers’ inclination to treat children’s issues as an afterthought. Lake outlines the unique challenges facing child advocates and ways to increase public attention to the needs of children and families. To see the full results of the Lake Research Partners poll for First Focus on Children, go to https://firstfocus.org/blog/fact-sheet-voters-support-investments-in-kids.   As a pollster, Lake hears every variety of opinion on contentious political issues. Yet, she’s found that Americans are more united than they seem and she’s passionate about using that information to fight the rising problem of political polarization.   Be sure to check out Lake Research Partners and follow on Twitter at @celindalake and @lake_research. Lake's recent book with Ed Goaes, A Question of Respect, can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Question-RESPECT-Bringing-Together-Divided/dp/1636980406/.   To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at:   Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org Twitter: @SpeakingOfKids @BruceLesley and @First_Focus   And please rate and review this podcast and share it with friends and family. Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. Connect with First Focus Campaign for Children for easy training on how to be a powerful advocate for children. Please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  2. SECOND LOOK: Prioritizing Kids in Politics with Dr. Annie Andrews and Renee Harvey of Their Future. Our Vote PAC.

    SEP 4

    SECOND LOOK: Prioritizing Kids in Politics with Dr. Annie Andrews and Renee Harvey of Their Future. Our Vote PAC.

    We are past Labor Day and just 62 days from the 2024 election and children are on the ballot. We wanted to bring back this very relevant podcast for a SECOND LOOK. In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with pediatrician and former congressional candidate Dr. Annie Andrews and political strategist Renee Harvey about their new political action committee (PAC) for children, Their Future. Our Vote. Dr. Andrews, a children’s hospital doctor, highlighted the invisibility of children in policymaking during her recent run for Congress. When the race didn’t end the way they’d hoped, Harvey and Dr. Andrews created the PAC to offer financial support to urgently needed kid-first policies, such as improving the Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and child care while also opposing efforts to ban books in our public schools and libraries. Learn more about the political and policy challenges faced by children:  Blog: The Invisibility of Children: The Other Form of Neglect, by Bruce Lesley Article: ​​Pediatrician launches new PAC focused on children, by Daniela Altimari Stay up to date Dr. Annie Andrews and Renee Harvey on social media. Be sure to check out their PAC website and follow them on Twitter, @HReneeHarvey, @annieandrewsmd, and @Their__Future.  To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at:   Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org Twitter: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus And please rate and review this podcast and share it with friends and family. Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. Connect with First Focus Campaign for Children for easy training on how to be a powerful advocate for children. Please consider donating to First Focus on Children to support our work and this podcast here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    50 min
  3. #22 - Children Are Not Little Adults with Dr. Glenn Flores

    AUG 21

    #22 - Children Are Not Little Adults with Dr. Glenn Flores

    In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Glenn Flores,  Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Glenn Flores explains that the most important lesson in child health research and policy is that children are not little adults - they have vastly different anatomy and physiology depending on their age, which requires taking a developmental perspective. Dr. Flores also discusses several pressing health inequities that children face, caused by racial, financial, and geographic disparities. There is also a discussion of the current most pressing concerns facing child health, such as medicaid unwinding and the rise in mood disorders.  Learn more about current challenges in children’s healthcare: Blog: Children Are Not Little Adults: Ensuring Adequate Pediatric Emergency Care in U.S. Hospitals, By Bruce Lesley   Webinar: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - One Size Does Not Fit All, By Averi Pakulis and Elaine Dalpiaz  Blog: Nearly 5 Million Children Have Lost Health Care Due To “Unwinding,” By Abuko Estrada and Tim Smith  To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.  To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min
  4. #21 - The Importance in Investing in Our Youngest with Cynthia Osborne

    AUG 7

    #21 - The Importance in Investing in Our Youngest with Cynthia Osborne

    In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Cynthia Osborne, founder and executive director of the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, about the importance in investing in our youngest: infants and toddlers. Bruce and Selley also highlight the recent vote on the child tax credit and their disappointment with the bill failing, despite the credit previously cutting child poverty in half.  Cynthia shares that the earlier we invest in children, the better the impact is for both our children and society as a whole. This includes efforts like child care, home visiting programs, and paid family leave. In fact, she found that every dollar invested in a paid family medical leave program has an $18 benefit back to the community. Throughout the episode, Cynthia emphasizes that economic stability is the crux for the well-being of families.  Learn more about the importance of investing in our youngest:  Resource: Babies in The Budget 2024, by First Focus on Children  Report: Early Investment, a Lifetime of Returns: Articulating the Value of Early Childhood Investments in Virginia, By Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center  Resource: Community-Based Home Visiting: Fidelity to Families, Commitment to Outcomes by Averi Pakulis and Nadia Gronkowski  Blog: Babies in the Budget: The Case for Investing Toward a Brighter Future by Bruce Lesley To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.  To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min
  5. #20 - Advocating for Kids in Kentucky and Across America with Dr. Terry Brooks

    JUL 24

    #20 - Advocating for Kids in Kentucky and Across America with Dr. Terry Brooks

    In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, a nonprofit watchdog for Kentucky's kids. Dr. Brooks has successfully worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to make necessary improvements for the lives of children across the state, such as supporting kinship caregivers and kids in foster care. Dr. Brooks tells our hosts that Kentucky’s children, like those around the country, are at a crossroads. Society has accepted issues such as child poverty as normal, he says, and he shares his efforts to press  policymakers to focus on issues such as child care and child poverty, rather than on distractions like the culture wars. Dr. Brooks also discusses the complexities of a Kentucky ballot initiative that would allow the general assembly to use public money for private schools.  Learn more about Kentucky Youth Advocates: Resource: Kentucky KIDS Count, By Kentucky Youth Advocates  Podcast: The American Rescue Plan & Efforts to End Child Poverty, By Kentucky Youth Advocates, Featuring Bruce Lesley To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.  To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  6. SECOND LOOK:  Money Matters with Dr. Kirabo Jackson

    JUL 10

    SECOND LOOK: Money Matters with Dr. Kirabo Jackson

    Check out one of our favorite episodes! Our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby welcome Dr. C. Kirabo Jackson, a researcher, professor, journal editor, and member of President Biden’s Council of Economic Advisors. Dr. Jackson discusses his findings that research with respect to investing in both early childhood and K-12 education consistently demonstrates a high return on investment, particularly for low-income children, and sets future generations on a path to greater success. Dr. Jackson also discusses the role that investments in education can play in reducing disparities in educational outcomes and the well-being of children in both the short- and long-term. Learn more about the crucial need to invest in our future generations: Academic Journal: “Do School Spending Cuts Matter? Evidence from The Great Recession”, By C. Kirabo Jackson, Cora Wigger & Heyu Xiong Blog: “Money Does Matter After All”, By C. Kirabo Jackson, Cora Wigger & Heyu Xiong Blog: “Congress is Shortchanging Children,” By Bruce Lesley To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Connect with our hosts and tell us what you would like to hear on the podcast at:   Email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org Twitter: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus And please rate and review this podcast and share it with friends and family. Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. Connect with First Focus Campaign for Children for easy training on how to be a powerful advocate for children. Please consider donating to First Focus on Children here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    39 min
5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Who speaks for kids when decisions about their education, health, and safety are being made? You do! Children need our collective attention and voice. You’ve found Speaking of Kids…, a podcast series from First Focus on Children, that uncovers why children are an afterthought in politics. We'll discuss how we can unify our efforts to demand change that will improve the well-being of all our kids. Your hosts are Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby of First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization that aims to make children the priority in federal budget and policy decisions. And when they're not advocating for policy change, they're busy raising their children - seven between them, enough to start a pretty solid basketball team with two subs included. Each episode offers insight on the work being done to prioritize children in government, along with conversations with guests who stand at the center of the most pressing issues facing kids. Conversations to date include careful explorations of children’s rights and how they contrast with the parents’ rights movement, a look at the way Americans think they are prioritizing kids’ interests vs how they really act, the Child Tax Credit, and much, much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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