Leading for Children

Who is Leading for Children™ and What Guides Their Work?

Leading for Children™ (LFC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children from birth to age five grow and learn in thriving communities of empowered, nurturing adults. LFC strengthens communities by advancing evidence-based approaches in which adults collaborate equitably to support positive outcomes for children. Their work is grounded in the belief that sustainable change begins with how adults reflect, relate, and grow as people, in every role they play. To achieve their mission, LFC practices the Humanity First Model™ and its Mutual Learning Method™, developed by Judy Jablon, to promote respectful partnerships, shared accountability, and self-empowerment among adults in the child’s ecosystem¹.

What is the Humanity First Model?

The Humanity First Model is an equity-centered approach that places the well-being and dignity of people at the core of building thriving communities for children. Rooted in the belief that children learn by watching the adults around them, the Humanity First Model supports the adults who care for children to grow as self-empowered leaders who act with kindness, empathy, and respect. By prioritizing human connection and mutual learning, the Humanity First Model fosters equitable partnerships, nurtures physical, emotional, social, and intellectual well-being, and invites individuals and communities to own their agency in creating environments where all children and the adults who care for them can flourish. The Humanity First Model is supported by two core tools that guide how adults show up individually and collectively: the Five Commitments of Optimistic Leaders and the 11 Simple Rules¹.