According to a release issued by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro,  First Focus Campaign for Children has named her a “Champion for Children.”

“Investing in our children is really investing in our future,” DeLauro said in a release. “Pre-K education, Pell Grants, the National School Lunch Program, access to affordable child care and the Child Tax Credit make a real difference in the lives of millions of children and their parents. We should continue to enhance these kinds of targeted efforts that make a lifetime of difference and provide better opportunities for children. I want to thank the First Focus Campaign for Children for this recognition and all the great work they do advocating for children across this nation.”

First Focus, a “national, bipartisan children’s advocacy group,” said that DeLauro was one of only 50 members of Congress “whose extraordinary efforts to protect and improve the future of America’s next generation earned them recognition as a champion.”

To choose their champions, First Focus looked at sponsored or co-sponsored legislation and “considered members who demonstrated extraordinary initiative by spearheading activities such as sponsoring hearings or garnering the support of their colleagues to improve the health and well-being of children.”

This is the Campaign for Children’s third year choosing “Champions for Children.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal and 1st District U.S. Rep. John Larson were named not “champions,” but “Defenders of Children,” legislators who “supported efforts to advance policies to improve the well-being of America's children.”