Want to get involved in public decisions that affect children's lives? Want a place to get started? These national organizations monitor funding and policy proposals on child care, nutrition, education, health care and more. Their legislative updates and action alerts can help you get the right message to the right person at the right time!

It's not easy to explain the way the U.S. government works to a child. But the author of Constitution Translated for Kids says it is more important now than ever to give our children a thorough grounding in basic democratic values and processes.

Across the nation, state budgets get tighter as the economy slumps. How can supporters of early childhood education keep lawmakers' attention on the need for new funding and programs?

Have an idea about how to make your community better for kids? No matter what your idea, chances are someone has experience that will help. Here's some first-hand advice from three people who took action in their hometowns.

In 23 years as director of Coleman Advocates for Children, Margaret Brodkin has pushed children to the center of the political agenda in San Francisco. For Connect for Kid's first-ever Action Week, we asked Brodkin to tell us what makes her tick and what keeps her going.

Two years after a play she wrote sparked national media attention, 19-year-old Samantha Gellar of Charlotte, North Carolina is now comfortable advocating for acceptance and support of gay teens. She spoke with Connect for Kids' Caitlin Johnson about her road to activism.

At 25 cents a pop, a Dixie cup full of lemonade poured by the 9-year-old next door is more than a refreshing drink—it's an investment in a caring community. That's the thesis behind James Vollbracht's new book, Stopping At Every Lemonade Stand: How to Create a Culture That Cares For Kids. Reviewer Deborah Fisher says the book is practical and inspiring.

Wendy Shepherd of Catalyst for Action wrote about her efforts in support of a ballot initiative opposing a new, less restrictive, concealed weapons law in Michigan. When she wrote this, the drive to put the measure on the ballot was in the home stretch.

It's the ultimate grass-roots political activity: buttonholing busy registered voters and asking them to sign a petition. In Michigan, gun safety advocates worked to gather 225,000 signatures on a ballot initiative to overturn a new state law making it easier to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Wendy Shepherd of Catalyst for Action filed this report from the front lines at the height of the action.