2019 is beginning with a partial US federal government shutdown, a change in control of the US House of Representatives, ongoing protests in France, a looming Brexit deadline, a Chinese moon landing, and more stories of natural disasters in Indonesia and Thailand, as well as a record-breaking heatwave in Australia. These events and more could drive 2019’s news for us all, but we want to draw attention to the big-picture challenges facing children and families. We must attend to these four challenges this year if we are going to make progress to ensure that all children and families flourish.