Juneteenth is one of those holidays I am never quite sure how to honor. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and told the last remaining enslaved people that the war was over and they were free. It was a remarkable moment…
Monday’s post covered what the research says about stress tolerance in children: that it is a learnable capacity, that adult relationships are the primary buffer between tolerable and toxic stress, and that youth programs directly influence the conditions that build it. This post covers what…
May I remind you—–it’s okay! Whatever it is that you are feeling, thinking, fearing, hating, or loving I want to offer you a reassurance in the fight towards resilience by saying–it is okay! We all need to hear this. May we all read it, speak it,…
Youth program staff spend a lot of time trying to reduce stress for the children in their care. That instinct is understandable, and within limits, correct. But a growing body of developmental research suggests the real goal should not be to minimize stress. We should…
Walking down that jam-packed aisle in a waving, senior gown with a dancing-tassel and blue, tilted graduation cap awkwardly angled at the side, wearing probably mismatched socks and semi-formal, semi-cool attire, I will see my son. In less than ten short years, he will be…
Most of the parents who walk into your office to complain about a staff member are not looking for a fight. They are scared, hurt, or confused about what their child told them, and they came to you because they trust that you take their…
Somewhere in the stack of training materials, agency handouts, therapist recommendations, and well-meaning advice you’ve collected as a foster parent, adoptive parent, or stepparent, there is research. Some of it has shaped how you think about your child. Some of it has shaped what you’ve…
You built your program to be a place where children thrive. Your staff show up every day because they care about kids. None of that protects you from one of the hardest realities in youth program work: children sometimes harm other children, and the conditions…
National Aging Out of Foster Care Awareness Day falls on May 31, and it is one of the observances I find hardest to let pass without saying something. Not because the statistics are new to me (though they remain stunning), but because the question underneath…
Saturday, May 31, is National Aging Out of Foster Care Awareness Day. The observance exists because what happens to young people at the moment the system releases them is, by most measurable standards, a national failure. Approximately 20,000 youth age out of the U.S. foster…
May 31 is National Aging Out of Foster Care Awareness Day. Every year, approximately 20,000 young people reach the age of majority and exit the foster care system in the United States. They leave without a permanent family, without a home to return to after…
Teaching life skills to teenagers is something I started thinking about far too late. I had a foster teen in my home who was smart, capable, and genuinely likeable, and I noticed much later than I should have that she had no idea how to…