In a democracy, people speak and the government responds. In 2004, The Children’s Agenda was created to be the voice for Rochester’s children. While rooted in our local community, much of our advocacy targets state-level changes in public policies and public funding for children. We are the only organization in the region and one of a few in New York with the exclusive purpose of improving the health, education, and well-being of children by advocating for changes in laws, regulations and public funding. By dedicating our mission to advocacy, we are able to focus our efforts on the most sustainable and equitable way of making change. Everything we do is influenced by what people in our community say are the greatest needs of children and families, and the solutions that would work best. What sets us apart from other organizations is: · We work exclusively to advocate for policy change. This is a vital tool for addressing societal challenges, promoting justice, and advancing the common good. · We conduct our work on both a local and state level. This enables us to make change for not only the Rochester community, but for all children in New York. · We incorporate the lived experiences of parents to define our agenda. This ensures the perspectives of those impacted by the issues drive our priorities. · We make decisions based on the best available research. This provides credibility and the evidence-based data to support our work. · We are funded solely through philanthropic support and do not receive funding from any government sources. This allows us to do our work without fear or favor to any policymaker or political group.