Huffington Post: Building a Child-Friendly DC, Part 1

Read the latest Huffington Post blog by Children’s Law Center executive director Judith Sandalow, where she lays out a vision for a more child-friendly District.

A third of our children live in neighborhoods with deep poverty. More than 2,000 District children are homeless. Over 1,000 children are still living in foster care without a permanent, loving family to raise them. And, far too many children have been traumatized by violence at home or in their neighborhoods. These are the children we see every day at Children’s Law Center.

Where do we go from here?

It may seem surprising that no one person or agency is responsible for DC’s children. Instead, our agencies are siloed today. The District’s multiple education agencies think about academic achievement. The Child and Family Services Agency responds if there is an allegation of abuse or neglect within a family. The Department of Human Services provides some income support for poor families and also oversees homelessness. And the list goes on and on.

Historically, the efforts of these agencies have neither been coordinated nor comprehensive – and no one has made it a priority to step back to figure out how to help prevent children from falling into crisis.

This is a problem that can be solved.

Read more on the Huffington Post.