Algebra: A Formula for Success Want to solve an equation for student success, greater economic mobility, and a stronger economy? Teach algebra in 8th grade. Research shows that learning algebra before high school builds the core foundation for higher-level...
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A Plan for Brighter Futures
How Do We Get to the Stars? FROM THE DESK OF MAI MIKSIC, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR We are standing at a critical moment in time for Children First. We just completed a significant leadership transition and completed the five year strategic plan launched in 2021. Today...
In the Footsteps of the Founders
Education as a Revolutionary Ideal "The good Education of Youth has been esteemed by wise Men in all Ages, as the surest Foundation of the Happiness both of private Families and of Commonwealths." – Benjamin Franklin As we celebrate our country’s 250th...
To Infinity and Beyond…Cellphone Bans
To Infinity and Beyond…Cellphone Bans In the latest Toy Story movie, Woody, Buzz, and Jessie worry about their “extinction” at the hands of Lilypad, a frog-shaped electronic tablet. Together, the gang of toys navigate a new world in which kids are connecting...
When We Fight, We Win
One Week, Three Big Wins for PA Kids FROM THE DESK OF MAI MIKSIC, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I've been doing policy and advocacy long enough to know that wins don't come easy; it’s a long game. Wins come from years of showing up at hearings, in district offices, in the...
Virtual La-La Land
CYBER CHARTERS: FACT vs. FICTION Cyber charter schools are playing the victim…again. Just this week, our Executive Director, Mai Miksic, took to the airwaves on a panel discussing education funding. Also on the panel was a representative of the cyber charter...
Opportunity, Not Optics
Giving Families What They Really Need Affordability is the hot political word of the moment and with good reason – the economy is the most important issue for voters. And for many parents, it’s impossible to ignore that it costs around $32,000 per year to raise...
Hot off the presses!
All the Children First News That's Fit to Print Have you heard the latest from Children First? Our Spring 2026 edition of Childwatch is filled with updates on the progress Children First is making for kids. Here are some highlights: Paid Family Leave Thanks to...
What to do about child care
What Do the Experts Say? The buzz around child care is not dying down, especially in this time when families are trying to manage soaring costs of living. Families need affordable child care, and child care providers need a stable workforce to meet families’...
Whose Schools? Our Schools!
Education is a Shared Responsibility Sparks flew at the Philadelphia School Board meeting last week when it voted behind closed doors to approve a $3 billion facilities plan, closing 17 schools and modernizing 169 others. The vote took place shortly after...