Since November, advocates and experts have sounded the alarm over what the Trump administration’s executive orders and directives could mean for America’s young children and their families. Severe budget cuts could impact programs including Head Start and Early Head Start. Threats of mass deportations have left many early educators seeking legal advice for how to best support the children and families they serve. The administration has announced plans to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, and along with it, a great many initiatives that support healthy development.
Amid the mayhem, organizations and advocates across the country are mobilizing to support and protect young children. The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), for example, is focused on creating conditions for young children to flourish. The nonprofit, which was formed in 1973, grew out of the Civil Right Movement, and its mission is to “build community so young people grow up with dignity, hope and joy.“
In the Q&A below, Sheri Brady, CDF’s vice president of strategy and program, discusses the current policy environment for children and shares why engaging local leaders in collaborative partnerships is critical to the long-term well-being of children and youth.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You’ve been in the child advocacy world a long time. What’s different about the present moment?
There’s a lot of noise right now, a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion, because orders are coming fast and furious. This makes it all more important to keep our eyes on the prize. We are here to build conditions for children to thrive. We’re working with our partner organizations to understand what is happening and what the impact is will be on nonprofits and thinking about what it will be on the communities we serve.
Is CDF taking part in lawsuits against the Trump administration?
We’re not a legal advocacy organization. We are partnering where we can and signing on to amicus briefs, but we can’t work on every issue. We are focused on the changes that are going to have the most impact on the communities we serve.
What are you most concerned about?
I would point to changes that would move education from a public good to a private right and attacks on the economic stability and security of families and children through cuts to Medicaid, SNAP (The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Head Start, WIC (the nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children), and a lack of a fully refundable, expanded child tax credit. Beyond these policy issues, we need to address the legacy of poverty and systemic racism that have led to the conditions for poor families in this country. We have to really think about how to fix systems.
How can foundations and philanthropists respond to this environment?
Philanthropy is not just about charity. In addition to writing a check, [foundations and philanthropists] can use their power and their influence to open doors and speak to the government. We’re hoping that funders stay the course to invest in the programs that help children and families to thrive.
Why is it important to engage with local leaders?
They are the ones who know what families are going through and what kind of programs are working for them. Those who are closest to the problems are closest to the solutions.
How can local organizations make a difference when so many of today’s issues are at the national level?
Partnerships matter right now. CDF is one of seven partners involved with the Early Learning Nation Collective and we serve in the backbone role, thinking about how to have the sum be greater than the parts. The collective’s [goal is] creating a nation where local leaders, parents, caregivers and community leaders really have a say in what’s happening. We help local leaders unlock the power that they have to create and to have agency over the things that matter to them.
That’s the beauty of the collective. You’ve got these people around the table and looking at the big picture, but everyone has their part to play. How is that tying to that? How are we getting together to think about those things?
How has your personal story shaped your work and your commitment to children?
I was very lucky. I grew up in a multigenerational household. My mom was a single mom, but my dad was very active in my life. Both sets of grandparents were around, so my mom had support for her career. As a hospital nurse, she worked the third shift. She would be home when we got home from school, but then she would have to leave at night, and we would stay with our grandparents. I [also] have nieces and nephews, several niblings, both of blood and choice. I really believe what I want for the children in my life is what I want for everybody’s children.
Marian Wright Edelman, founder of CDF, has quite a legacy. When did you first hear of CDF and of Edelman?
Almost everybody who works at CDF has a Marian Wright Edelman story. In 1989 I was a sophomore at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She spoke at the graduation, and I was a commencement volunteer. She was wonderful, so passionate, so powerful. She really spoke to me and changed the course of my life.
How is Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson continuing her legacy through his role as president and CEO of CDF?
He is someone who is really dedicated to sort of moving this forward. He is a father, and just like I said about what I want for my niblings — what he wants for his children is what he wants for all children, which is to be successful, be happy, be joyful.
Disclosure: The Bezos Family Foundation provides financial support to the Early Learning Nation Collective. Prior to 2025, the foundation also oversaw Early Learning Nation. These organizations are not affiliated.
Mark Swartz
Mark Swartz writes for Early Learning Nation and the Stanford Center on Early Childhood about efforts to improve early care and education. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife and two children.
