The Children’s Movement of Florida is a citizen-led,

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

non-profit organization to educate political, business and civic leaders – and all parents of the state – about the need to prioritize the well-being and education of infants, toddlers and all other children in Florida. The Children's Movement of Florida was launched on , in a four-city fly-around with press conferences in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

and

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

Core advocacy issues

The Children's Movement of Florida has identified five areas for a first focus of special interest and action: * Access to quality health care * Screening and treatment for children with special needs * Quality pre-kindergarten opportunities * High-quality mentoring programs * High-quality support and information for parents

"Milk Parties"

The movement has scheduled 15 "Milk Party" rallies from September 6 to 30, starting in

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

, to rally support for children as a priority. Participants will be treated to milk and cookies. "Milk Parties" will feature notable speakers, local celebrities, an educational video, and a "call to action". The Children's Movement of Florida aims for a thousand or more citizens at each event. Several

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

publications have referred to The Children's Movement of Florida as the "Milk Party".

Leadership

The Children's Movement of Florida is led by a 27-member steering committee consisting of business, civic and political leaders from across

. Some notable members of 27-member coalition are: *

Carol Jenkins Barnett Carol Jenkins Barnett (September 30, 1956 – December 7, 2021) was an American philanthropist and businesswoman, the daughter of George W. Jenkins, the founder of Publix Super Markets. Jenkins Barnett was president of Publix Super Markets Ch ...

: President of

Publix Publix Super Markets, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Publix, is an employee ownership, employee-owned American supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a Privately h ...

Supermarket Charities and daughter of George W. Jenkins. * Sam Bell: Former Florida legislator. *

Allan Bense Allan G. Bense (born October 6, 1951) is an American businessman and politician. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006. He serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of Bense Enterprises. Biography Early l ...

: Former Florida House Speaker. *

Bob Butterworth Robert A. Butterworth Jr. (born August 20, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Florida. Early life and career Butterworth was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and moved to Florida with his family as a child. He received a ...

: Former Florida attorney general and secretary of the Department of Children and Families. *

Betty Castor Elizabeth Castor (; born May 11, 1941) is an American educator and former politician. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and as Florida Education Commissioner, and she subsequently served as the President of the University of South Florida ...

: Former Florida legislator and president of the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

. * Scott Clemons: Former legislator and now mayor of

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Route 98 in Florida, U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pe ...

. * Manny Diaz: Twice elected mayor of

. * Pegeen Hanrahan: Former mayor of Gainesville. * Toni Jennings: Former lieutenant governor of Florida. *

David Lawrence Jr. David Lawrence Jr. (born March 5, 1942) is an American nationally known newspaper editor and publisher who retired at the age of 56 and subsequently became a leading national advocate for children, especially in the area of early childhood invest ...

: Former publisher of

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...

. * Roberto Martinez: Former U.S. attorney and now on the State Board of Education. *

Jon Mills Jon Mills (born March 6, 1978) is a Canadian professional golfer. Mills was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and spent most of his childhood in Belleville, Ontario. He developed his competitive game on the St. Lawrence Junior Tour in southeastern Ontar ...

: Former Florida House Speaker. * Sandra Murman: Former Florida legislator from Hillsborough County * John P. Quinones: Former Florida legislator and now member of the Osceola Board of County Commissioners. * Nan Rich: Florida state senator. * Burt Saunders: Former Florida legislator from Collier County. * Bill Sublette: Former Florida legislator.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Children's Movement of Florida Children's rights organizations in the United States 501(c)(3) organizations Non-profit organizations based in Florida