DSA expands childcare and children's programs to build support among families

The Democratic Socialists of America has spent several years building programs aimed at children and their parents, and those efforts are now showing up in local and state politics. From a New York City childcare training to school board campaigns in multiple states, the socialist group is extending its organizing from the workplace and the ballot box into the family home and the classroom.

The New York City chapter's Red Sprouts program, scheduled for October 2026, trains organizers to run childcare during protests, meetings and other events, so that parents can take part. The training stresses what it calls “radical storytelling” and “cooperative games” with political themes. A separate NYC DSA family-focused group, Comrades With Kids, handed out DSA-themed coloring pages at a September 2025 event. The National Political Education Committee has offered childcare-activism training for years, and in 2025 the group announced plans for a children's curriculum called “Socialist Sprouts.”

Earlier efforts reach back further. In 2016 NYC DSA launched a Socialist Sunday School for children ages 2 to 6, which used songs and books such as “The Lorax.” The Cleveland DSA chapter has published a children's coloring book on housing themes, and the group's online store sells children's clothing promoting a Green New Deal for Public Schools. The Los Angeles chapter has formed a Public Education Committee.

The school board push has a formal basis as well. At its 2023 national convention, DSA adopted a measure prioritizing socialist candidates for school boards. The amendment's author, Rose DuBois, argued that school races offer a way to reach parents directly.

The strategy appears to have produced results in the 2026 midterms. According to the reporting, DSA-backed candidates won congressional, state legislative and school board races, and DSA-backed positions prevailed on 23 ballot measures. In Washington state, voters rejected a measure that would have restored expanded parental rights in schools. The group's momentum also includes the 2025 election of Zohran Mamdani, a DSA member, as New York City mayor, and three DSA members who will represent parts of New York in Congress: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Valdez and Avila Chevalier.

Opposition has organized as well. The American Parents Coalition, led by Alleigh Marré, says the effort raises indoctrination concerns. Its “Lookout” initiative helps parents question school activism. DSA, for its part, says these programs broaden access for working families. The full intent of the chapters' programs has not been independently verified, and the reporting leaves the scope of the school board campaigns and their long-term aims open.

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Derek Weston

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Derek Weston covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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