In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Kim Kelly about the ongoing fight against child labor, the vital role unions play in protecting families, and why labor rights are children’s rights. Kelly is a journalist, organizer, and author whose work highlights the often-overlooked struggles of young workers. Together, Abebe and Kelly explore how historical and modern labor movements have shaped protections for kids, the dangers that remain in workplaces across the country, and how families and communities can advocate for safer, fairer futures. This conversation emphasizes the importance of awareness, solidarity, and action to ensure every child can grow up free from exploitation.

To learn more about Kim Kelly and her work, you can check out her book Fight to Win, and follow her on Instagram, and Twitter.

Want to keep digging into the real-life impact policy decisions have on children? Here’s some of what First Focus on Children has published recently:

Testifying for Children Before a House Committee That, Far Too Often, Ignores Them

Against the Public Will: How Policymakers Are Failing Our Nation’s Children

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on⁠ Instagram⁠,⁠ LinkedIn⁠, and⁠ Twitter⁠. 

Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: ⁠@SpeakingOfKids⁠ 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. 

Mychal Threets Believes Every Child Deserves Access to Books!

In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Mychal Threets about why every child deserves access to books, what it means when libraries are defunded, and how joy shows up—even on the hardest days. Threets is a literary advocate, former librarian, and the current Resident Librarian for PBS. Together, Abebe and Threets dive into the vital role libraries play in our communities, especially for children. This conversation explores the impact of book bans, the need for libraries to adapt to modern needs, and how they serve not just as spaces for learning, but as sanctuaries of safety, possibility, and belonging.

To learn more about Mychal Threets and his work, you can follow him on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Want to keep digging into the real-life impact policy decisions have on children? Here’s some of what First Focus on Children has published recently:

Three Ways That The Reconciliation Bill’s School Voucher Program Hurts Public Schools

How Funding Cuts Threaten The Future of Early Childhood Education

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids 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. 

In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Maria Davis-Pierre and Cheryl Poe to explore what it means to be a culturally responsive advocate for Black neurodivergent children. Both mothers and passionate advocates, Davis-Pierre is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the President & CEO of Autism in Black INC, and Poe, who holds an M.A. in Urban Education and Counseling, is the Founder and Executive Director of Advocating 4 Kids, Inc. Together, they discuss the challenges that Black families face in education and health care, the emotional toll of advocacy, and how they transformed their frustration into a movement—creating spaces where parents, professionals, and advocates can connect, stay informed, and feel empowered. 

To learn more about Maria Davis-Pierre’s work, visit the Autism in Black website, or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. To learn more about Cherly Poe’s work, visit the Advocating 4 Kids website, or follow them on Instagram and Facebook. 

Want to keep digging into the real-life impact policy decisions have on children? Here’s some of what First Focus on Children has published recently:

Cuts to School Mental Health Funding and Threats to MEDICAID/CHIP: A Growing Crisis for Children

MEDICAID, CHIP, and Budget Reconciliation: One Choice Will Save Children’s Lives 

MAHA Moms: What Say You?

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids 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.

In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe sits down with economist Kathryn Edwards to unpack the economic challenges facing children and families, particularly in child care and education. Edwards is a labor economist and independent policy consultant whose research focuses on the intersection of labor markets and public policy. She joins us to break down complex economic ideas, connecting the dots between big-picture policy and everyday life. This conversation offers both practical knowledge and a sense of hope for those working to build a better economic future for children and families.

To learn more about Kathryn Edwards’ work, visit kathrynanneedwards.com. You can follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Lastly, be sure to check out her podcast Optimist Economy. 

Want to keep digging into the real-life impact policy decisions have on children? Here’s some of what First Focus on Children has published recently:

How H.R. 1 Will Harm Children Now and Far Into the Future

Three Ways that the Reconciliation Bill’s School Voucher Program Hurts Public Schools

How Funding Cuts Threaten the Future of Early Childhood Education

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids 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. 

In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe speaks with Jered Bruzas about the importance of engaging fathers as advocates and how their involvement can help build stronger systems for children and families. Bruzas is a father of four, a passionate community advocate, and the Chief Impact Officer at United Way of Greater Waterbury. He brings firsthand insight into the societal and systemic barriers families face, particularly in education, food insecurity, and access to opportunity. This conversation highlights the real-life impact of policy decisions — and the critical role fathers can play in creating meaningful change. 

To learn more about Jered Bruzas’ work with United Way of Greater Waterbury, visit unitedwaygw.org. You can follow UWGW on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to keep digging into the real-life impact policy decisions have on children? Here’s some of what First Focus on Children has published recently:

Privatizing Public School Funds: Threats to Equity, Access, and Educational Quality 

H.R. 1 Puts Children Last: An Unprecedented Betrayal of America’s Future 

How Funding Cuts Threaten the Future of Early Childhood Education

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments or thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids 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. 

Speaking of Kids is back for Season 2! Join host Messellech “Selley” Abebe as she explores what it means to be an ambassador for children — and why children’s voices, needs, and futures must be at the center of our policies and budgets. This season, you’ll hear from an inspiring lineup of guests: an economist, a librarian, a labor journalist, parents, teachers, and organizers. Together, Selley and her guests will explore their unique perspectives, name what’s broken, highlight what’s working, and share tools to help you speak up and take action.

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments or thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids 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. 

In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat about the the importance of children’s issues in the upcoming election. Despite children making up over 20% of the population, children’s issues are often overlooked and ignored in policymaking. Lesley and Looby outline some of the major disparities in policies between the candidates, particularly focusing on the child tax credit, children’s health, and funding for public education. 

Learn more about children’s issues in the election:

Blog: Children on the 2024 Ballot: Where do Harris/Walz and Trump/Vance stand? By Bruce Lesley 

Analysis: Project 2025, First Focus on Children staff

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected]

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.

In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Miriam Calderón, Chief Policy Officer of Zero to Three. Miriam has dedicated her life to ensuring that all children have access to essential resources such as child care, nutrition programs, and maternal health services. In today’s episode, Miriam addresses the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life and highlights the need for holistic approaches to early childhood policies, including policies that support mental health services, reproductive rights, and economic security. She also discusses the flaws of our current child care, health, and education systems, where opportunity and outcomes are often determined by zip codes. 

Learn more about Zero to Three’s work:

Resource: Building Strong Foundations:Advancing Comprehensive Policies for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, By Zero to Three and Center for Law and Social Policy’s (CLASP)

Article: Why is child care so expensive? By Zero to Three 

Follow Miriam Calderón on X and LinkedIn. 

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected]

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus

Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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: [email protected]

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.

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: [email protected]

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.