2000 Attend 'Children's Inaugural Ball' Saturday to Welcome Obama

The Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on making the needs of children and youth a national political priority.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Two thousand children and family members attended the Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) "Children's Inaugural Ball" taking place Saturday at the Historical Society of Washington, 801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square, Washington, D.C.

The child-focused event is the only family-friendly, free national event of its kind to welcome President-Elect Obama and his family to the White House.

The event also features a special history display called “President’s Helping Children” about presidential accomplishments in improving child well-being over the past century.

Every Child Matters Education Fund President Michael Petit said: “The swearing in of a new president is always a hopeful event—and children are nothing if not hopeful! So the Inauguration is a special moment for them as it is for all of us. Kids may not know exactly what presidents do—but they know that whatever it is affects them. Even very young kids have an enormous capacity for understanding and caring about their communities and they want to make sure that other children have food and shelter, good schools and healthcare, too. As a nation we can cultivate that sense of citizenship and cooperation in our children—and the Children's Inaugural Ball, while celebratory and festive, is meant to help remind us all of that.”

Special Children's Inaugural Ball exhibitors include: Friends of the National Zoo, The National Aquarium, Mount Vernon, Ford's Theatre, NASA, The National Children's Museum, National Geographic Kids, The National Air and Space Museum, StoryCorps, Washington Nationals and more. While a celebratory event, the Children's Inaugural Ball builds upon the work of many children's organizations over the past two years to raise the visibility of children's issues and to pave the way for new national investments in their well-being.

Petit added: “Whatever their political persuasion, the vast majority of Americans want more investments in their children and grandchildren. Not only because they desire to improve each child’s chances for success, but because they know the nation’s global competitiveness depends on it and an aging population requires it. Americans believe that their government has a moral responsibility to help provide for the health, education, and safety of all children. With a new Administration and Congress grappling with the proper role of government in managing the economy, and assisting major corporations because of the difficulties they’ve encountered, we look forward to the same significant investments being made in the children who are the future of our democracy.”

NATIONAL PARTNERS National partners of the Every Child Matters Education Fund for the Children's Inaugural Ball include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Association for Library Services to Children, Afterschool Alliance, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Center for Law and Social Policy, Center for Youth Development, Child Welfare League of America, Common Sense Media, Children's Dental Health Program, Children's Health Fund, Children’s National Medical Center, The Children's Partnership, Coalition of Human Needs, Docs for Tots, Early Care and Education Consortium, Families USA, The Forum for Youth Investments, Alliance for Children and Families, First Book, First Five Years Fund, First Star, Generations United, Mocha Moms, Moms Rising, National Alliance of Children's Trust & Prevention Funds, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, National Association of Social Workers, National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, National Collaboration for Youth, National Head Start Association, National Human Services Assembly, National PTA, National Women's Law Center, Pre-K Now, Prevent Child Abuse America, Reach Out and Read, United Neighborhood Centers of America, Voices for America's Children, YMCA of the USA, and Zero to Three.

The Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on making the needs of children and youth a national political priority and promoting the adoption of smart policies for children, youth, and families—including stopping child abuse, helping working families with child care, expanding pre-school education and after-school programs, and ensuring that children receive good health care. For more information about Every Child Matters, visit everychildmatters.org. Available online at everychildmatters.org/HI3, the new third edition of "Homeland Insecurity: Why New Investments in Children and Youth Must be a Priority for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress" (January 2009) by Michael Petit, president of the Every Child Matters Education Fund, shows why it is important for the nation to make new investments in children. The report includes the framework for a proposed 10-Year, $500 Billion Invest-In-Kids Agenda.