After midterm gains, DSA's push to reach kids, from "Red Sprouts" childcare to school boards, draws parent alarm

Fresh off its midterm wins, the Democratic Socialists of America is drawing scrutiny for a years-long effort to bring its politics to young children through childcare programs and school board races, Fox News reported Sunday.

In New York City, the DSA's "Red Sprouts" program held a training session in October to prepare organizers to provide "resistance-driven childcare" at demonstrations and events, using "radical storytelling" and "cooperative games." The group's national political education committee laid out plans in 2025 for a "Socialist Sprouts" curriculum for children, parents and caregivers, and a New York chapter ran a "Socialist Sunday School" for kids ages 2 to 6 as far back as 2016.

At its 2023 convention, the DSA voted to prioritize recruiting and backing socialist school board candidates. Fox reported that DSA-backed candidates won congressional, state legislative and school board races last week, and that DSA-backed positions prevailed on 23 ballot measures.

"If you can indoctrinate and teach these kids really young, their perceived value of socialism, that's going to stick with kids for a lifetime," said Alleigh Marré of the American Parents Coalition, which is giving parents tools to spot political activism in schools. The DSA describes its childcare programs as a way to make organizing easier for working-class families.