Explore Our Publications
Immigration Publications

From Guards to Guardians shares new research findings on the long-term mental health effect of detaining migrant families, and advocates for healthy community alternatives to family detention.

Public Charge and Private Dilemmas provides best practices and recommendations for Texas’ state government, social service organizations, and community groups to help families navigate the road paved by the restrictive public charge rule.
Youth Civic Education and Engagement Publications

Educate for Change: Civics in Texas centers the experiences of eight civic educators in Texas to identify the key roadblocks to comprehensive civic education and our next best steps to improve civics in Texas.

To understand how to better engage young people with no college experience, we conducted a series of interviews with organizers and practitioners who work directly with them. Democracy Beyond the Campus explains the barriers these youth face and advances the solutions we need to engage them.

It’s no accident that Texas’ policies make it harder for young voters—especially young voters of color—to cast their ballots. The Kids Are Not The Problem is a deep dive into these obstacles and the solutions available to transform our young, diverse, and powerful electorate.
Health Care Publications

Schools are a touchpoint for nearly every child, and one of the few places families can learn about health services, public programs, and public health coverage. Medicaid in Schools contains recommendations schools can use to expand their health care services and help connect students to health coverage.

In Harm’s Way was published in 2009 to share the stories of Texas’ uninsured children along with policy recommendations to provide affordable health care for every Texas child.
National Publications

The State of America’s Children® 2021 and corresponding state fact sheets provide an overview of how America’s children are faring in order to inform policy conversations and improve our systems to ensure no child is left behind.

Find recently released publications from the Children’s Defense Fund here.