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 capitol, in coalition meetings, and on the streets. This week we had three big wins, all the result of building the advocacy foundation over many years.

In just the past few days, advocates like you helped save hundreds of classroom positions,

pushed paid family and medical leave closer to becoming law than it has ever been before, and got a bill passed in the PA House that will ensure kids get tested early for lead poisoning. These are the kinds of wins that change lives.

This is what a supermajority of advocates looks like. And it is working.

Philadelphia Schools: 340 Classroom Positions Saved

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Council President Kenyatta Johnson, and School Superintendent Tony Watlington found a solution to keep 340 school positions – 149 teachers, 130 climate staff, and 23 counselors – from the chopping block. The City committed $48 million this year and $216 million over five years to keep these educators and staff in schools. This kind of investment and commitment without major revenue injections has never before happened in Philadelphia. The City reached into its back pocket, rearranged its priorities, and made students a top policy agenda item.

But just days before, the School District of Philadelphia had said it simply didn’t have the recurring funding to make this happen. What changed? Advocates, union members, and community members refused to accept that answer. Our pressure worked. The fight for equitable, stable school funding in Philadelphia is far from over, but this is a real victory for kids who needed those adults to show up for them.

Working Families: Statewide Paid Leave Bill Clears Key Senate Committee

The Family Care Act (SB 906), sponsored by Sens. Devlin Robinson (R-Allegheny) and Maria Collett (D-Montco/Bucks), passed out of the Senate Labor & Industry Committee on a 9–2 bipartisan vote. This legislation would create a state-run paid family and medical leave program so that PA workers can care for themselves, a new baby, or a sick parent without having to choose between their family and their paycheck.

The Family Care Coalition, of which Children First is a founding member, has been organizing business owners, parents, and advocates for years, and we are closer to passing paid leave than we have ever been. The House already passed its version in March – now we need every voice we have to get it to Governor Shapiro’s desk.

Child Health: PA House Votes to Require Lead Testing for Children

With strong bipartisan support, the PA House passed a bill, sponsored by Rep. Jose Giral (D-Phila), requiring lead poisoning testing, with insurance required to cover the cost. Lead poisoning causes developmental delays, nervous system damage, and serious pregnancy complications, and the only way to catch it early is to test. HB 916, heading now to the Senate, will make that test routine for every child, not just those who can afford it or whose doctor happens to flag it.

None of these wins happened because of one organization or one lawmaker. They happened because parents and pediatricians and teachers and advocates in every zip code and from every political background showed up and demanded more for children.

But we’re not done. As these bills move through the Legislature, the fight continues – and Children First won’t stop fighting until we get our next set of big wins.

Tell Your State Senator to
Support Paid Family and Medical Leave 

Autistic children as young as 18 months old are being injected with human stem cells derived from umbilical cords in unapproved, unproven and potentially harmful “treatments” that scientists warn are proliferating across the US under the active encouragement of Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Next Friday is Juneteeth and there are many events celebrating this important American holiday.

Check out what’s happening in Philadelphia or Google what’s going on in your community.

“Whether it is creating a strong school culture, supporting students through challenges, connecting families to resources, or expanding opportunities beyond the classroom, these efforts make a real difference. But the supports our children need should not depend on extraordinary efforts or annual budget rescues. They should be guaranteed.”

– Tiffany Johnson Williams, at a press conference alongside city councilmembers and education advocates regarding the preservation of 340 classroom positions. Tiffany is a participant in the Children First Parents Empowered for Change program.

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