Apr 21, 2026
Testimony to Philadelphia City Council Presented by Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Children First Re: Resolutions 26025 and 260208 My name is Donna Cooper, I live in Councilman Young’s district, and I am here to speak to the resolutions to enact new taxes on...
Mar 17, 2026
Forty States’ Certification Systems are Better Suited to Retain High School CTE Teachers than Pennsylvania. In 80% of all states, where 2.3 million educators are teaching in public schools, Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers can attain tenure via a...
Mar 13, 2026
Checking the Boxes for Philly Kids While we always want more, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker continues to invest in Philadelphia children and teens. As a candidate in 2023, she pledged to support the comprehensive Kids’ Campaign agenda, and her new fiscal...
Mar 2, 2026
Testimony to the School Board of Philadelphia Re: School Facilities Plan Feb. 26, 2026 DOWNLOAD PDF Good evening, board members. My name is Symbol Lai. I’m with Children First. I’m testifying about the school district’s facilities plan. I want to thank the district...
Feb 18, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE In Philadelphia, providing a world class public education to every student is a daunting challenge due to decades of underfunding that starved our schools of essential resources and robbed our students of opportunity. Nevertheless, we must...
Feb 13, 2026
WHERE YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING From our nation’s capital to small-town PA, taxpayers are footing a hefty bill for the chaos that ICE is creating. Starting tomorrow, the agencies within the Department of Homeland Security will either shut down or work...
