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Steve Sturm believes every child should have the same opportunities that his 3-year-old daughter Reagan enjoys. Things like new boots, trips to the trampoline park — and preschool. But for children known to the foster care system, too many miss out on the earliest years of their education. “There wasn’t any real focus on early ed. It was kind of an afterthought,” said Sturm, who works with the education unit at L.A.’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the biggest child...

When Arizona’s foster care system swelled to an all-time-high of over 19,000 children in 2016, the reason should have been obvious to the state’s lawmakers. It certainly wasn’t because thousands of residents were suddenly abusing and neglecting their children, but Arizona approached the problem with that mentality. As a result, thousands of children were taken from their families when in-home services and support would have sufficed. Here’s what was actually happening: Since the Great...

Drama students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School performed the Rent standout "Seasons of Love" at the 2018 Tony Awards to honor their theatre teacher Melody Herzfeld, who helped saved dozens of lives during the shooting at the Parkland, Florida school. Herzfeld barricaded 65 students inside a closet within her classroom during the February 14th shooting, which killed 17 people at the school. For her actions, the Tonys awarded Herzfeld the 2018 Excellence in Theatre Education Award,...

Childhood jingles evoke memories from a most transformative time in our lives and the lives of our children. We can all remember the old classics like The ABC’s, Old McDonald Had a Farm and The Wheels on the Bus. Pause for a moment and reflect on when you last heard Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Remember the catchy melody and enjoy the words. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder What You Are Up Above the World So High Like a Diamond in the Sky Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder...

It wasn’t hard to find the gravesite of the woman who was almost my sister-in-law. It was roughly a 10-minute drive from my childhood home, past the closed, dilapidated high school I graduated from in 1991—when it was still segregated, nearly four decades after Brown v. Board of Education—past the decaying Georgia-Pacific paper mill that once provided several hundred well-paying jobs, including for my family, past a small, free clinic that was established in recent years, and down a dusty...

When it comes to immigration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has not been reluctant to assert the powers of his office. With his decision, announced Monday, to virtually eliminate domestic violence as grounds for asylum, he summarily swept away more than two decades of hard-fought legal cases and painstaking decisions by immigration judges and appeals courts that favored women who were victims. In a speech to immigration judges just before his decision was published, Sessions framed it as...

For most Americans, access to decent, affordable rental housing remains cruelly beyond reach. Only in 22 counties in the United States is a one-bedroom home affordable to someone working 40 hours per week at federal minimum wage. That’s from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) report , which outlines the mismatch between wages and rent every year. For people earning minimum wage, the situation is untenable. At $7.25 an hour, they would need to put in roughly 122 hours per week,...

Sociologists at BYU and Ball State have found that a majority of fathers today are relatively involved in their children's lives. Whether it's physically being there for a baseball game or piano recital, or emotionally being there to provide warmth or support in a tough time, there appears to be a shift in how fathers are viewing their roles. "We found that today's dads spend more time, provide more care and are more loving toward their kids than ever before," said Kevin Shafer, BYU...

This article was produced in partnership with WMFE, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network . On the morning of June 12, 2016, police officer Omar Delgado pulled his cruiser up to his two-story townhome in Sanford, Florida, and sat in silence for 15 minutes, trying to process what he had seen during 3 1/2 hours inside the Pulse nightclub. He stripped his bloody uniform and gear off, put them in a trash bag, and took a shower. Then, he shut the door to his bedroom, locked...

As a passionate advocate for children and families to thrive and recognizing the barriers and violence created by racism, I’d like to share some reflections on the journey toward racial equity that we are taking in Broward County, Florida. The first thing we learned is the importance of making space to have these brave conversations about race and racism and how it is hurting all of us. By September, we hope to have 900 government and nonprofit staff and community partners, including law...

How do we know when public space supports health, and when processes that shape public spaces are inclusive? Despite the growing evidence connecting place and health, design and physical activity, the natural environment and mental well-being, and more, there are few available resources to help planners and policymakers identify the kind of real evidence that is needed to help make decisions and fund public space projects that promote individual and community health and well-being.

Good cheer, happiness, family and a spirit of giving are a big part of the holiday season. But for many people, stress and loneliness are major players that upset plans to stay positive. If your tension level rises when the decor goes up, you are not alone. It is common for some people to feel more anxious or lonely as the season begins. Holiday stress can trigger negative thinking that builds on itself. To avoid this cycle, we can take this opportunity to find new comforts and enjoy the...