With 2014 just around the bend, we are closer than ever to local implementation of a program that has had child welfare advocates buzzing for years. This program, recently titled Bridge to Independence by members of Project Everlast, will voluntarily extend services and support to age 21 for youth aging out of foster care. This program was created by the… Read more →
Tag: Children
Federal child welfare news
While Nebraska Appleseed continues to work with state lawmakers and local stakeholders to improve our state’s child welfare system, we also have been following several efforts to address child welfare issues at the federal level. Last week, I attended a gathering of policy advocates in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities… Read more →
Affordable Care Act provides health care coverage opportunities for youth with foster care experience
There has been a lot of talk and excitement recently about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will be fully implemented starting January 1, 2014. While the ACA goes a long way in providing Nebraskans with access to affordable and comprehensive coverage, there are a few lesser-known provisions. In particular, youth who age out of foster care will be eligible… Read more →
Government shutdown could have consequences for Nebraska families with low incomes
As you likely know by now, Congress has not been able to come to an agreement to continue to fund many activities and programs. That means on Tuesday, the federal government was shut down. Although many public benefits programs will be able to keep operating because they currently are able to access funding from the prior year, an extended shutdown… Read more →
“The Fosters” – Immigration and Foster Care
Note: The new ABC Family series “The Fosters” portrays a same-sex couple and their family of biological, adopted, and foster children. Appleseed’s child welfare team will provide periodic reviews of episodes and discuss the real-life issues raised by the show. Hello everyone, our child welfare team is back from our recent trip to Washington D.C., and we have been looking… Read more →
Appleseed CWT takes on D.C. for national children’s conference
Last Thursday, Nebraska Appleseed’s Child Welfare Team (AKA Sarah, Robbie, and Amy) took to the skies and headed to Washington, D.C., for the American Bar Association’s 15th Bi-Annual National Conference on Children and the Law. The two-day conference focused on emerging policy and systemic reform related to child welfare and offered workshops in the areas of education, disproportionality, kinship care,… Read more →
Celebrate a child welfare success story Thursday
The passage of “The Young Adult Voluntary Services and Support Act” – LB 216 – was a huge victory this year for young people who age out of foster care, as well as child welfare advocates and supporters. This Thursday, you’re invited to join Appleseed and other child welfare advocates at Urban Abbey to learn about this wonderful success story… Read more →
U.S. Supreme Court Issues Opinion in Indian Child Welfare Act Case
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision in the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. This marks only the second time the U.S. Supreme Court has heard a case involving the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) since the law’s enactment in 1978. The opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, focuses on the applicability of the ICWA… Read more →
“The Fosters” – Issues of Race and Culture in Foster Care
On The Fosters this week, the two common themes that arose throughout the episode were race, ethnicity, and culture. This week, we are going to focus on Marianna’s quinceañera, a Latin American celebration of a girl’s transition into womanhood at age 15. During this week’s show, Steph and Lena were preparing to throw a quinceañera for Mariana specifically to help… Read more →
Reviewing “The Fosters” – Educational Stability in Foster Care
On The Fosters this week, there were several intriguing plotlines that arose throughout the episode. We are going to narrow it down a bit and focus on Jude and the big test he had to take to remain enrolled at Anchor Beach. At the beginning of this week’s episode, Lena was informed that Jude would be required to score at… Read more →
The Fosters and the Sibling Placement in Foster Care
As promised, the child welfare team tuned in for The Fosters again this week, and for a second consecutive week we were fairly impressed by the show (and equally so by the show’s soundtrack, Missy Higgins and Brandi Carlile anyone?). Although I was occasionally distracted by the unmistakable likeness of Callie’s brother Jude to Freaks and Geeks star John Francis… Read more →
How to start a Summer Food Service Program site to feed children in your community
Note: Thousands of children in Nebraska are food insecure and struggle to get enough to eat in the summer months when they are out of school. Summer Food Service Program sites across the state do amazing work helping feed kids each year to make sure they don’t go hungry. This is the conclusion of our blog series during “National Summer… Read more →
Partnership puts summer food site on wheels in Omaha
Note: Thousands of children in Nebraska are food insecure and struggle to get enough to eat in the summer months when they are out of school. Summer Food Service Program sites across the state do amazing work helping feed kids each year to make sure they don’t go hungry. During “National Summer Food Service Program Week,” we will feature several… Read more →
Nebraska Participation in Summer Meals for Children Continues to Fall Short
When the school year ends, many hungry children lose access to the school breakfasts and lunches they receive during the school year. Meals provided through the Summer Food Service Program play an important role in making sure these children have access to nutritious food once the school year ends. This program is federally reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture… Read more →
Lincoln summer food organizers have high goals for feeding kids
Note: Thousands of children in Nebraska are food insecure and struggle to get enough to eat in the summer months when they are out of school. Summer Food Service Program sites across the state do amazing work helping feed kids each year to make sure they don’t go hungry. During “National Summer Food Service Program Week,” we will feature several… Read more →
In Falls City, feeding children in the summer is a labor of love
Note: Thousands of children in Nebraska are food insecure and struggle to get enough to eat in the summer months when they are out of school. Summer Food Service Program sites across the state do amazing work helping feed kids each year to make sure they don’t go hungry. During “National Summer Food Service Program Week,” we will feature several… Read more →
Reviewing “The Fosters” – Playing by the (unwritten) rules
As mentioned in our last blog, this week’s premier of the new ABC Family television show “The Fosters” covered a diverse range of topics, including same-sex parenting, multi-ethnic family dynamics, unreported foster home abuse, placement/school instability, the strength of sibling relationships, and an unhealthy meeting with a biological parent. Basically everything but the kitchen sink. As I sat curled up… Read more →
Summer Food 101 – What you can do to fight childhood hunger in Nebraska
Making sure Nebraska’s children have enough to eat all year round is one of the biggest responsibilities we have as a community. Many people are surprised to learn 42 percent of Nebraska children access the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program. However, many kids can’t access these meals in the summer when they’re not in school, and many families that… Read more →
Child Welfare Team tunes in and reviews new foster care TV show
This week, the television network ABC Family aired a new show called “The Fosters” about a same-sex couple and their family of biological, adopted, and foster children. Nebraska Appleseed’s child welfare team tuned in to watch the episode and were curious about how the show would portray some of the issues that children in foster care face. Many television shows… Read more →
LB 216 will make a difference – thank you
Yesterday, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 216 on a vote of 44-2. LB 216 will allow Nebraska to join more than a dozen other states in taking an option under the federal Fostering Connections Act to create a program of voluntary services and support to age 21 for young people who age out of foster care. LB 216 will make… Read more →
One Step Closer to a Bright Future
Groups of young Nebraskans waiting in the Capitol lobby to speak with senators has become a regular occurrence this legislative session when LB 216, the bill to extend voluntary services and support to age 21 for young people who age out of foster care, is a topic of discussion. Tuesday was no different, with members and staff of Project Everlast… Read more →
Take Action TODAY: Remove barriers facing youth who age out of foster care
Nebraska’s current foster care system results in poor outcomes for too many young people who age out of foster care. We miss out on their human potential and a stronger workforce because of the barriers they face in becoming successful adults. But we have a chance to remove those barriers TODAY when the Legislature is scheduled to debate LB 216.… Read more →
Success Beyond 18 launches to give young people a better path to success
Monday, young people with experience in foster care teamed up with legislators and child welfare experts from across the country to head to Washington D.C., and help launch Success Beyond 18, a national campaign of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative to create a better path for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. Speakers included Gary Stangler, Executive… Read more →
Every Young Person Deserves the Chance to Boomerang
Young adults returning to their parents’ home after living on their own is a pretty common occurrence nowadays. This back-and-forth movement has particularly increased in recent years – so much so that it’s spurred a new generational nickname: “The Boomerang Kids.” Although I would certainly no longer call myself a “kid,” I am not ashamed to identify as one of… Read more →
Project Everlast Takes on the Capitol
The last Sunday in March was no ordinary day. That morning, I arrived bright and early at a 4-H camp in the middle of a forest. Only one thing could possibly have been worth pulling myself out of bed at 7:30 a.m. on the weekend and driving down I-80 in semi-blizzard conditions: Project Everlast’s very first Legislative Day. Project Everlast,… Read more →