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Young people leaving the foster care system are not strangers to hardship and instability. Because the state removed them from their families—and in some cases communities—they often do not have access to the same level of support and guidance from family that many other young people receive as they make their way into adulthood. Society’s [...]

To thrive, all children need to grow up in their communities surrounded by loving and caring adults, and families need access to basic programs and services so they can meet their needs and participate fully in their communities. Government plays an important role ensuring each of these conditions is met. But the details that emerged [...]

Let’s begin with a middle school stage play in Detroit. The lights are dim, the demerits are high, and a boy named Leonard has just been kicked off the production. Enter Miss Liggins, a teacher with a different script. She doesn’t erase the consequences—she rewrites the role. “You’ll be our stage manager,” she says. [...]

All children and youth should have the opportunity to live and grow in communities with supportive adults who care for them, learn in environments that promote their growth and development, and access quality and affirming health care. The current administration is undermining these essentials and has deployed a range of tactics, including Executive Orders, guidance [...]

To work, care for, and support our families and communities, we need to be healthy. To be healthy, we need health coverage. Health insurance, in other words, should come before work. This is why other wealthy countries guarantee access to health care, and health coverage is not typically tied to work.[i] The American health care [...]

As we mark another year in the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP)’s legacy, we reflect on the extraordinary journey we’ve taken and feel immense pride and gratitude for all we’ve accomplished. Since our founding over four decades ago, CSSP has worked tirelessly to transform public systems, partner with communities, and advance public [...]

When I first read the Parent Edition of the Manifesto for Race Equity and Parent Leadership, it was hard for me to get past the phrase “Parents know what’s best for their children.” As a child growing up in foster care, I’m pretty sure my mom didn’t know what was best for me, or herself, [...]

Photo of Fannie Lou Hamer, an American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and leader of the civil rights movement. Black History Month offers a powerful opportunity to intentionally recognize and celebrate the immeasurable contributions of Black people in America. Nearly a century ago, Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926 to [...]

With lightning speed, the Trump administration has undertaken a deliberate campaign to sow chaos and confusion in its first days in office, grounding federal agencies to a halt and disrupting the day-to-day work of child and family-serving organizations across the country in a radical effort to refashion our democratic institutions and advance an agenda that [...]

On this National Day of Racial Healing, we’re reflecting on what it means to heal as a nation from the pervasive effects of racism. Yesterday, people celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr —a visionary leader who spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and advocated for racial equality, [...]