Children Now is a left-of-center organization based in Oakland, California that supports higher state spending on education and health care for children. It also advocates for increased welfare-state spending in general. ¹

The organization embraces the radical-left worldview it calls “antiracism.” The organization has an antiracist policy statement that condemns what it sees as systemic racism and social injustice in American society that harms black and brown kids. It also claims that this oppression began with the importation of the first slaves to the future Thirteen Colonies in 1619 and is directly the cause of the poor outcomes that Black and brown kids face in California. ²

Background

Children Now is a left-of-center advocacy organization based in Oakland, California. It advocates for left-of-center policies that it claims would help children at the state level in California. ¹

It is the leader of an advocacy coalition organization called the Children’s Movement of California. It claims the membership in this coalition of more than 3,400 organizations. It claims that this network is one of the largest interest coalitions in the state of California. ¹

The organization is an advocate for higher state spending on issues such as education and health-care programs for children. It also advocates for increased welfare-state spending in general. ¹

“Anti-Racist” Policies

Children Now advances the radical-left worldviews of “antiracism” and “intersectionality.” These beliefs hold that the presence of disparities by race, gender, and other characteristics are the result of systemic racism and social injustice. ²

The organization adopted an “anti-racism” policy vision that called for the demolition of so-called systemic racism and social injustice. It claimed that these are the reasons for the poor outcomes of Black children compared to children of other races. It also claimed that those poor outcomes could be traced to the introduction of slavery to British North America in 1619 and it created a system of racism that held back the advancement of Black people. This was despite the fact that California was never a slave state. ²

Annual Report Card

Since 1990, Children Now has compiled an annual report card that measures the state of California’s policies towards children. It released one in 2022 that graded the state of California on various issues related to children. ³

The 2022 report card was one of the first measurements of how California’s children were faring in the COVID-19 pandemic. It praised the state of California for providing free health care for illegal-immigrant children while it criticized the uneven quality of distance learning and the learning loss that California children suffered as a result of school closures. ³

Leadership

The president of Children Now is Ted Lempert. He also a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley where he teaches California politics. Previously he was the CEO and co-founder of EdVoice, an education advocacy organization. He was also previously a California assemblymember for four non-consecutive terms. ⁴

Funding

According to the 2020 tax return, Children Now had $6,916,396 in revenue and $7,461,817 in expenses. It had $12,454,996 in assets. ⁵

It has received funding from various left-of-center foundations such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, Futures Without Violence, Tides, Annenberg Foundation, the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the California Endowment, the Walton Family Foundation, the Sobrato Foundation, and many others. ⁶

1. “Together, We Can Generate the Power Needed to Create Change for Kids.” Children Now. Accessed May 21, 2023. https://www.childrennow.org/about/.
2. “Supporting Black Kids in California: An Anti-Racist Policy Vision.” Children Now. Accessed May 21, 2023. https://www.childrennow.org/anti-racist-policy-vision/.
3. Jones, Carolyn. “‘grim’ Outlook for California Children’s Well-Being, Report Finds.” EdSource, January 12, 2022. https://edsource.org/2022/grim-outlook-for-california-childrens-well-being-report-finds/665747.
4. “Ted Lempert.” Children Now. Accessed May 21, 2023. https://www.childrennow.org/team/ted-lempert/.
5. “Children Now – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed May 21, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943059243.
6. “Board of Directors.” Children Now. Accessed May 21, 2023. https://www.childrennow.org/about/supporters/.