How Children Now Fights for Kids' Climate Health

Photo from Children Now

Children Now is a non-profit organization that works to uplift California youth through “connecting people and policy” (Children Now). From shedding light on the issues of kids that often go unnoticed to proposing solutions for policy makers to advocate for youth, Children Now has always worked to dismantle systematic barriers that inhibit their youth from thriving within their communities. Through policy and government relation teams that cover health, education, early childhood, child welfare, and other areas, it learns how to best support youth and make change within their lives, creating collective action campaigns where people who support kids can all gather in community and work to include the voices of kids within policy. 

Children Now is committed to tackling issues that disproportionately affect children — including climate change. The results of climate change, including wildfires and air pollution, negatively affect children on a daily basis. According to a unicef report, in 2024 about 242 million students in over 85 countries had their schooling interrupted by climate disasters, ranging from heat waves to floods. The organization focuses on providing kids with a high quality education and equity, broadening means of accessibility for kids. The organization largely focuses on environmental justice, helping vulnerable families and improving health outcomes. Their annual pro-kid policy agenda serves as a roadmap for policy makers on how to take action and ensure kids have support around them, which means targeting systemic injustices. The organization is dedicated to making change within children’s built environments to combat significant challenges they face, such as the climate crisis. “Within children’s health, environmental justice and environmental health are a huge upstream factor for all the things we care about”, says Colleen Corrigan, a Senior Health Policy Associate for Children Now. 

The organization is run by a team who is widely recognized for their research, policy, communications, and network building experience in child services. The team works together with policymakers and stakeholders in California to establish real change for kids. “What’s really uniting different voices in this space is being pro-kid,” says Corrigan. As a part of Children Now’s health division, Corrigan has worked to improve child health,

increasing the rates for childcare workers so that parents can have better childcare leave and fighting for the implementation of policy that zeros out medicaid premiums for families to take their kids to the doctor. 

Corrigan first joined the team as a policy fellow through a state-policy fellowship for graduate students after having worked on public housing projects in Los Angeles. Her efforts have always tied back to her passion for environmental justice, holding policy makers accountable for the well being of children because “If you’re going to cut something, it can’t be kids”, says Corrigan. Her favorite aspects of Children Now are the coalition building and collective action, which have been markers of inspiration for her work. 

To address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on children, Children Now has bridged their work in environmental justice and children’s health, working to meet kids' concerns and empower them to create change. Corrigan leads the California Alliance for Children’s Environmental Health (CASEY), a state-wide network composed of 120+ members, where groups of teachers, healthcare workers, pediatricians, foster care social workers, and other figures are brought together to study the intersections of children's health and environmental justice within their work of expertise. Through the network, experts across various fields can learn more about the concerns of children in California and how to best meet their needs. 

Since the creation of Children Now, the organization has made a profound impact on their youth, securing 8 billion dollars for childcare and creating an urgent response system hotline to connect with social workers. For youth passionate about climate action, health, and youth advocacy, there are numerous ways to get involved with Children Now and support children, such as donating to the organization and joining the Children’s Movement alongside 5,600+ other organizations to advocate for the futures of kids across  California. Any youth who are invested in climate are free to reach out to Children Now at any time to discover the ways in which they can begin working with the organization and help carry out their mission. Additionally, Children Now hosts an annual, virtual leadership summit open to youth ages 13+ in California where they can “share their perspectives on the issues that matter most to them, unify around their experiences and ideas, and create connections with each other, mentors and local leaders” (Children Now).

Interested in Getting Involved with Children Now? Contact Colleen Corrigan:

• Email: ccorrigan@childrennow.org