TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – When children have to be removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, a new report looks at ways to improve their care by giving foster parents a greater voice. Researchers from The Annie E. Casey Foundation say it's time to elevate the role of foster parents, by giving them the value they deserve as part of the overall child-welfare team.

Dr. Denise Goodman, a child welfare consultant, said those parents who open their homes and hearts to foster children deserve all support and training agencies can provide.

"The first line of therapy and healing is in the foster home, where, on a 24-hour-a-day basis, foster parents are nurturing, loving, caring and healing, said Dr. Goodman. "And they are critical members of the team, since they know the child best."

The report recommends giving foster parents legal protections and empowering them to make everyday decisions about the children in their care, for after-school activities, sports and even haircuts. The report also encourages foster parents to develop close bonds with children in their care. Many have been told in the past to separate themselves emotionally in the event the kids are reunited with their kin.

Kurt Kelly is president and CEO of the Florida Coalition for Children, which works to recruit and train foster families. He said implementing a community-based approach to child welfare in Florida, the only model of its kind so far in the nation, is paying off.

"We've gone from an average of about 1,200 to 1,400 kids a year being adopted, to something like 3,400 to 3,500 kids a year, that means they're getting into a permanent family," he explained.

About 23,000 Florida children are currently in out-of-home placements, an increase over previous years which Kelly said can be attributed in part to a change in how the state assesses risks to a child's safety.

Kelly, who has spent the week appearing across the state with Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Tony Dungy to promote foster parenting and adoption, said it's time to put away outdated stereotypes about the child-welfare system.

"If you watch Hollywood, you'll always hear about how bad foster families were, and that may have been true 20, 30 years ago," he said. "But for the most part, the folks that get into this fostering are doing it because they love kids and they have a mission for children."

Dungy and his wife have fostered many children and adopted seven. He's partnered with the Florida Department of Children and Families to help provide resources to interested families.


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The shrinking supply of child-care workers continues to impact Kentucky, and advocates say helping more people receive a Child Development Associate degree could fill critical gaps in child care and early learning - especially in rural regions.

Jennifer Roe is an early-childhood coordinator with Save the Children's Early Steps Program who's currently enrolled in a CDA program at Eastern Kentucky University.

She said it hasn't been easy working full time while in school, but says Save the Children's Career Pathways Program has helped with tuition and other resources, putting her on track on track to graduate next spring.

"When I walk across that stage with that diploma in my hand, it's going to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever done," said Roe. "And not only for myself, but for the families that I serve and for my community."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, more than 153,000 openings for child-care workers are projected over the next decade - largely driven by the need to replace workers who have left the field or retired.

Save the Children's Career in Education Workforce Development Managing Director Karen Harrison said the program aims to reduce barriers to obtaining a credential or higher-education degree.

"We either pay all or partial of their tuition," said Harrison. "We pay stipends for books, supplies and materials. And we also give barrier-reduction stipends; we know that child care for participants themselves can be an issue."

Roe added that a CDA degree opens the door to immediate job opportunities working in day-care centers, opening a child-care business, or teaching preschool.

"We can't wait 'til they get to kindergarten and expect them to know their ABCs and such," said Roe. "They've got to know when they get there because, if they don't, they're already behind."

Meanwhile, Kentucky child-care providers say the state's industry is on the verge of collapse when federal pandemic funds expire this fall.

In a recent letter, hundreds of providers across the state asked lawmakers to pass a supplemental funding bill to help centers stay afloat.

Earlier this year, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford took legal action against five of the biggest social media platforms, claiming they have no regard for youths' mental health and well-being.

Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist at New York University, reaffirmed Ford's sentiments, suggesting children and adolescents today who spend hours at a time on social media could experience devastating effects on their mental health and their ability to cope with real-life challenges.

"When you have a synchronized global collapse in mental health hitting the same way demographically, it is going to be pretty hard to find a theory other than my theory of the 'Great Rewiring,'" Haidt contended.

Haidt reported the mental health of teens, especially girls, plunged in the early 2010s, with higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide when what he calls "play-based childhood," was replaced by "phone-based childhood." Additionally, symptoms of depression and anxiety doubled during the pandemic according to the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, which put together a guide to help Nevada families navigate mental health challenges.

American teenagers, ages 13-17, have propelled apps like TikTok to the top of the list of available social media platforms, according to Pew Research Center. Haidt noted while certain measures such as more strict age verification requirements have been considered, tech companies contend it would be too much of an inconvenience for adult users. Haidt called on lawmakers to step up.

"What I'd like to see is Congress would mandate that the companies have to do something," Haidt emphasized. "They have to make a good-faith effort, 'we're not going to hold them responsible for 100%,' but at present 0% there is nothing."

What Haidt termed a "completely frictionless and anonymous virtual world," is causing harm to young children around the country and added he supports a small level of inconvenience for adult users when they sign up for platforms if it will help keep children more safe.


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Advocates of the Child Tax Credit are calling on Washington lawmakers to expand it as they return to the Capitol this week. It's estimated an expansion could help more than 46,000 kids in Montana.

HR 7024, also known as the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, would increase the Child Tax Credit from $1,600 to $1,800, and raise it by another $100 next year.

Nathan Stahley, executive director of the Montana chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said this would benefit 16,000 Montana kids under age six - which would, in turn, help lift families' financial burden.

"Across the state, we're seeing families struggle to pay their bills," said Stahley. "You know, having to make a choice - do they have to put food on the table there, or are they going to pay for their medication, maybe? And so, when we look at this credit, it's going to lift people out of poverty."

A permanent expansion of the pandemic-era tax credit has strong support, according to recent polling. The expanded CTC passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support and now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

Beyond helping families pay their bills, Stahley said an expanded Child Tax Credit would help them pursue services they often neglect because of cost.

"Anything from therapy to other health-related concerns they may be working through," said Stahley. "Again, when you're in poverty, there are a lot of things you're not going to be able to afford - and one of the first things that gets cut is health. So, we want to make sure they can put food on the table and get the health care they need."

Numbers from Children's Health Watch show families who received the expanded Child Tax Credit during the pandemic were also able to catch up on rent.