At Risk Children & Youth

Our work in this policy area over the years has involved pressing for subsidies for child care and working for improvements to the state’s Foster Care system. In these efforts we have followed the lead of partner advocacy groups and coalitions. Since 2006, The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, an independent fiscal policy think tank, has been the lead provider of data to support the work of these groups and in protecting programs from drastic budget cuts. This has been particularly critical in the past year, as many advocacy groups have strategically retrenched to protect existing programs instead of pursuing new initiatives.

In the past year we have produced research and analysis in the areas of poverty, unemployment, health care, education, earnings and wages, and a comprehensive examination of the state of working families in the Commonwealth. While the reports are independent and stand on their own, many of the conclusions are supportive of the view that investing in public programs like education, closing tax loopholes, and expanding health care coverage to children are beneficial in reducing poverty and addressing many of the issues that place children at risk in the first place.

In addition, through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we have developed a new partnership with WHRO public broadcasting’s Center for Regional Citizenship in Tidewater, to work within the faith community to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in South Hampton Roads. Through our “Faith, Fresh Vegetables & Free Play” initiative, we have dedicated a staff member in South Hampton Roads to organize the faith community around the issue of childhood obesity and getting them involved in hands-on solutions to advance community policies and environmental changes that aim to increase access to healthy foods and safe places to play with an emphasis on reaching those children who are at the highest risk for obesity. This project, when successful, will become a model for future work in other parts of the state.