First Focus
America's Promise Alliance's policy affiliate is First Focus, which serves as our partner in advocating for young people. First Focus works to ensure that our leaders focus first on the impact their policy decisions have on children and families.
About First Focus
First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization launched by America’s Promise Alliance that is committed to making children and their families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. First Focus works to create a lasting legacy for children and their families by encouraging bipartisan federal policy advancements and investments in children.
Because our missions are complementary and our activities create new synergies, First Focus is a natural partner for our America's Promise Alliance -- and an imporant advocate for young people at the federal level.
First Focus brings both traditional and non-traditional leaders together to advocate for federal policies that will improve the lives of America’s children. Child health, education, family economics, child welfare, and child safety are the core issue areas in which First Focus promotes bipartisan policy solutions.
First Focus: A Lasting Legacy
A short introduction to the work of First Focus, explaining our approach and core issue areas.
First Focus: A Rising Resource
The results of an independent evaluation preformed to gage the effectiveness of First Focus in making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions.
First Focus News
February 2, 2009: First Focus unveiled a dynamic new website that details the federal investment in every program benefitting children. The interactive new site, www.childrensbudget.org, provides customizable information on the more than 180 federally funded children’s programs.
December 18, 2008: New polling data released by First Focus has revealed widespread support for a renewal of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by a margin of 82-10 percent. In addition, the survey indicates that, by a margin of 79-15 percent, a majority of Americans favor expanding SCHIP to cover legal immigrant children, who currently face a five year waiting period before they are eligible for health coverage under SCHIP. The poll was commissioned by First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization.
December 18, 2008: A new report released today has found that school districts across the country have experienced a significant spike in the number of homeless students. The report centers around a voluntary survey conducted during the fall of 2008 by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth and First Focus.
December 16, 2008: "The Cost of Doing Nothing," a new report released by First Focus has found that the United States will suffer a future economic loss of over $1.7 trillion if the current recession drives an additional 3 million children into poverty, as has been predicted. That amounts to a yearly loss of about $35 billion dollars per year over the lifetime these children.
October 21, 2008: First Focus released a report that details how children are treated in the health care plans of the presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The analysis identifies both opportunities and concerns with the policy changes outlined by both presidential candidates, with an eye toward whether the plans would ensure access to comprehensive and affordable health care for every American child.
September 15, 2008: First Focus released the publication, entitled Big Ideas for Children: Investing in Our Nation’s Future, is a compilation of creative solutions to once again increase the federal investment in children. A selection of America’s leading thinkers, including a Nobel laureate, award winning economists, researchers, and other notable experts have come together to provide 22 innovative new proposals for dramatically improving the lives of America’s children.
September 8, 2008: Published by First Focus and the Brookings Institution, the report, entitled Impacts of Early Childhood Programs, summarizes existing evidence on several early childhood interventions and their impact on children and families. The report finds that most early childhood programs have had positive impacts on children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes, including long-term reductions in criminal behavior, improvements in children’s health and safety, and positive impacts on children’s parents.
March 14, 2008: First Focus released a new report, entitled “CMS’ Medicaid Regulations: Implications for Children with Special Health Care Needs,” indicating the Administration’s new rules for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, if imposed, will disproportionately affect millions of American children with special health care needs. Read the full report.
January 29, 2008: First Focus President Bruce Lesley's Testimony before the House Committee Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health:
Other ways to get involved with America's Promise Alliance:
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Become a National Partner: Find out how nonprofit organizations, corporations, faith-based groups and others can become alliance partners.
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Become a Member: Find out how individuals can become members of the Alliance.