First Focus

First Focus is a bipartisan children's advocacy organization, launched by America's Promise. The stated purpose of the organization is "making children and their families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions."[1]

Funding support for First Focus comes from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Core advocacy issues

First Focus has established three core issue areas for advocacy:

Children’s Health. First Focus advocates for critical federal programs like the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Healthy Start, and advancing federal efforts addressing issues, such as childhood obesity, child nutrition, oral health, mental health, and environmental health.

Child Poverty and Family Economics. First Focus is working to reduce childhood poverty and family economic security through measures such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit -- two effective, bipartisan tax measures that work to lift millions of children out of poverty.

Tax and Budget Policy.

Education. First Focus supports efforts to improve our nation's educational system and the non-school factors that are important to a child's education.

Early Childhood.

Child Welfare, Rights, and Safety.

Juvenile Justice.

Children of Immigrants.

Advancing Research and Data.

Leadership

Bruce Lesley is the president of First Focus and has more than 20 years of experience at all levels of government, including time working in the United States Congress for Senator Jeff Bingaman, Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Breaux, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, and Congressman Ronald D. Coleman. At the state and local level, he worked for Texas Governor Ann Richards and for El Paso County Judge Patrick F. O'Rourke. In addition to a commitment to children's issues, he has a background in health care policy and administration through work for the National Association of Children's Hospitals and University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.

Former Congressman John Edward Porter is the first Chairman of the First Focus Advisory Board and previously served for 21 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and chaired the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

References

  1. ↑ About | First Focus

External links