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...
SEARCH RESULTS
Education
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...
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...
TESTIMONY: Children First’s Statement Ride Share/School Closures
Children First’s Statement Ride Share/School Closures Presented to Philadelphia City Council, May 2026 Inella Ray, Director of Parent Advocacy & Engagement Children First DOWNLOAD PDF The District and School Board need to rebuild trust in the process so that City...
Testimony: Philadelphia City Council, Rideshare Fee
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...
FACT SHEET: Meeting the Urgent Demand for Career and Technical Education Instructors
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...
Is PHL Mayor Meeting the Moment?
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...
Testimony: School Facilities Plan 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...
Statement: Parents & Students Deserve Guarantees in the SDP Facilities Plan
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...
ICE & Education Funding, What’s the Connection?
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...