Speaking of Kids...

Speaking of Kids...

Who speaks for kids when lawmakers, the government, and elected officials are making decisions about their education, health and safety? You do! Children need our collective attention and voice. You’ve found Speaking of Kids…, a podcast series from First Focus on Children that examines how laws and public systems impact kids — not just in theory, but in real life. We’re here sorting out who’s actually for kids and who’s just kidding. Join our host, Messellech “Selley” Abebe, as she gathers voices from every corner of the kid-policy world: congresspeople, public health leaders, political organizers, parents, and the dogged advocates doing the hard work of imagining something better. Selley explores the ‘kid angle’ in policy and politics. What’s working? What’s not? And how can we take action to create a better future for the next generation? Listen and discover the hidden power that each of us has as an ambassador for children. We believe that kids matter. Their lives are worth protecting, their joy is worth preserving, and their futures are absolutely worth fighting for.

Episodes

October 15, 2025 42 mins
In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Precious about how parents can raise confident, critical thinkers in a world shaped by artificial intelligence. They talk about why it’s important to guide kids toward curiosity instead of fear, how families can set simple guardrails around new technologies, and what it takes to help children become creators rather than just consumers of tech. Tate is a parenting advocate and di...
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In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe talks with Elisabeth Marnik, PhD about bridging the gap between science and everyday life, especially when it comes to kids’ health. Dr. Liz is a scientist, mom, and powerful science communicator who grew up in a fundamentalist, anti-science household and is now a trained immunologist translating research for everyday families. Together, Selley and Dr. Liz discuss why empathy works better ...
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In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Tracy Kaplan about why kids deserve honest, age-appropriate news, and the importance of slowing down in a world full of misinformation. Kaplan is the creator of The Ten News, a podcast that makes current events accessible for curious kids and their families. Together, Abebe and Kaplan discuss how to navigate misinformation, why fairness is at the heart of what kids care about, a...
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In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Kim Kelly about the ongoing fight against child labor, the vital role unions play in protecting families, and why labor rights are children’s rights. Kelly is a journalist, organizer, and author whose work highlights the often-overlooked struggles of young workers. Together, Abebe and Kelly explore how historical and modern labor movements have shaped protections for kids, the d...
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Mychal Threets Believes Every Child Deserves Access to Books! In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Mychal Threets about why every child deserves access to books, what it means when libraries are defunded, and how joy shows up—even on the hardest days. Threets is a literary advocate, former librarian, and the current Resident Librarian for PBS. Together, Abebe and Threets dive into the vital role libraries play in ...
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In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe chats with Maria Davis-Pierre and Cheryl Poe to explore what it means to be a culturally responsive advocate for Black neurodivergent children. Both mothers and passionate advocates, Davis-Pierre is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the President & CEO of Autism in Black INC, and Poe, who holds an M.A. in Urban Education and Counseling, is the Founder and Executive Director of Advocat...
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In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe sits down with economist Kathryn Edwards to unpack the economic challenges facing children and families, particularly in child care and education. Edwards is a labor economist and independent policy consultant whose research focuses on the intersection of labor markets and public policy. She joins us to break down complex economic ideas, connecting the dots between big-picture policy and e...
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In this episode, Messellech “Selley” Abebe speaks with Jered Bruzas about the importance of engaging fathers as advocates and how their involvement can help build stronger systems for children and families. Bruzas is a father of four, a passionate community advocate, and the Chief Impact Officer at United Way of Greater Waterbury. He brings firsthand insight into the societal and systemic barriers families face, particularly in edu...
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Speaking of Kids is back for Season 2! Join host Messellech “Selley” Abebe as she explores what it means to be an ambassador for children — and why children’s voices, needs, and futures must be at the center of our policies and budgets. This season, you’ll hear from an inspiring lineup of guests: an economist, a librarian, a labor journalist, parents, teachers, and organizers. Together, Selley and her guests will explore their uniq...
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October 16, 2024 43 mins
In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat about the the importance of children’s issues in the upcoming election. Despite children making up over 20% of the population, children’s issues are often overlooked and ignored in policymaking. Lesley and Looby outline some of the major disparities in policies between the candidates, particularly focusing on the child tax credit, children’s health, and funding for publi...
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In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Miriam Calderón, Chief Policy Officer of Zero to Three. Miriam has dedicated her life to ensuring that all children have access to essential resources such as child care, nutrition programs, and maternal health services. In today’s episode, Miriam addresses the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life and highlights the need for holistic approaches to ear...
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In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with pollster and political strategist Celinda Lake. Lake is President and Founder of Lake Research Partners, a national public opinion and political strategy research firm. Lake walks our hosts through public polling that shows voters strongly favor investing in children and centering them in public policy. The data contradicts lawmakers’ inclination to tre...
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We are past Labor Day and just 62 days from the 2024 election and children are on the ballot. We wanted to bring back this very relevant podcast for a SECOND LOOK. In this episode, our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with pediatrician and former congressional candidate Dr. Annie Andrews and political strategist Renee Harvey about their new political action committee (PAC) for children, Their Future. Our Vote....
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In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Glenn Flores,  Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Glenn Flores explains that the most important lesson in child health research and policy is that children are not little adults - they have vastly different anatomy and physiology depending on their age, which requires taking a developmental perspective. Dr...
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In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Cynthia Osborne, founder and executive director of the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, about the importance in investing in our youngest: infants and toddlers. Bruce and Selley also highlight the recent vote on the child tax credit and their disappointment with the bill failing, despite the credit previously cutting child poverty in half.  Cynthia shares tha...
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 In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, a nonprofit watchdog for Kentucky's kids. Dr. Brooks has successfully worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to make necessary improvements for the lives of children across the state, such as supporting kinship caregivers and kids in foster care. Dr. Brooks tells our hosts that Kentucky...
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Check out one of our favorite episodes! Our hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby welcome Dr. C. Kirabo Jackson, a researcher, professor, journal editor, and member of President Biden’s Council of Economic Advisors. Dr. Jackson discusses his findings that research with respect to investing in both early childhood and K-12 education consistently demonstrates a high return on investment, particularly for low-income childre...
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In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Phyllis Rabinowitz, Co-Founder and Co-President of the R Baby Foundation. Phyllis co-founded the R Baby Foundation with her husband, Andrew, after the loss of their nine-day-old daughter, Rebecca Ava, due to a misdiagnosis in the emergency room. The R Baby Foundation is the first and only foundation dedicated to making sure every emergency room is prepared to give b...
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In this episode, co-host Bruce Lesley chats with Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), chair of the Dads Caucus. Rep. Gomez launched the Dads Caucus after a photo of him holding and caring for his son Hodge on the House floor went viral. Rep. Gomez talks about moms have been the “default parent” and the importance of fathers stepping up for kids both at home and in Congress.  Learn more about the Dads Caucus: https://gomez.house.gov/dadscaucus/...
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In this episode, co-host Bruce Lesley chats with Mike Hixenbaugh, a senior investigative reporter for NBC News about the ongoing attacks on public schools across the country. They discuss Hixenbaugh’s new book, “They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms,” which documents the culture wars in Southlake and Grapevine, Texas. Hixenbaugh argues that challenges to diversi...
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