Advocacy

Resilience After Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month provides an opportunity to remember victims, and raise awareness, how to recognize it, and how to prevent it.  Domestic violence is described as violent or aggressive behavior…

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National Youth Justice Action Month: Q&A with Shielah DeBlanc

President, Joseph R. Biden Jr. proclaimed October National Youth Justice Action Month (NYJAM). During National Youth Justice Action Month, I call upon States and communities to join me in seeking…

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National Baby Safety Month: Recommendations for Kinship Caregivers on Baby Safety Kelly Starver, Ph.D. Nursing

The month of September recognizes baby safety and kinship care as national designations. For many kinship caregivers, having a baby in the house or caring for a baby may be a completely new experience. …

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Kinship Care Awareness: Four Things to Know

Kinship care refers to caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, adult siblings, and even family friends — who make the selfless choice to take on traditional parenting responsibilities when biological parents…

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Free Developmental Screenings for Children

The ELRC Region 5 is hosting four Ages & Stages Questionnaires® developmental screening events for free during the month of September. Learn More Families with children ages two months to…

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Black Businesses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia You Can Support!

Supporting Black-owned companies helps create more opportunities for Black communities. By doing our part in pouring into Black businesses, the structure of generational wealth can benefit Black families. Buying Black…

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Father Shares Encouraging Story About the Strength of Kinship as Mental and Emotional Support for His Children

For children and adolescents, family connectedness acts as a protective factor for their mental health. Fostering this sense of belonging and being cared for in youth can reduce the likelihood…

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Suffering in Silence: Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis Further Exposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic | Q&A with Dr. Jacqueline Wilson

Dr. Jacqueline Wilson CEO, TRAC Services for Families Less than 25%. While mental health issues do not discriminate based on race, color, gender, or identity, the understanding of mental health…

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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Offers Free Books for Youth Up to 5 Years Old

Since the late 1990’s, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program has delivered conscientiously chosen, free personalized and age-appropriate books every month to children up to five years old. Parton’s charitable endeavor, first launched…

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Educating Ourselves to Educate Our Children on the Importance of Juneteenth

A Message on Juneteenth from Dr. Sharon L. McDaniel  The symbolism of the federal Juneteenth holiday is strong. It calls out the profound contribution of enslaved Black Americans and their…

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