The Children's Defense Fund-California is the California office of the Children's Defense Fund, a national, non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for nearly 40 years to ensure a level playing field for all children. CDF-CA champions policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care and quality education.

The Children's Defense Fund-California, in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators, is working with school districts to identify uninsured children and is helping children and their families apply for free and affordable health coverage.

The partnership is part of a nation-wide effort made possible through a grant awarded under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act and administered by the federal Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The Children’s Health Insurance Outreach Program has two goals:

1. To increase school district capacity to systemically incorporate child health outreach and insurance enrollment into routine school district operations.

2. To identify uninsured children in school districts and link eligible students with Healthy Families and Medi-Cal during the 2012-13 school year and beyond.