contemplations on child welfare, child well-being, and life
rick “Your ache is also your prayer.” This was on my mind when I woke today. Jesus taught that prayer is a personal experience each of us has with the One who made us. Anyone can pray because prayer is literally your experience with God. There are no standards and no quality improvement measures for our prayers. God does not evaluate your prayers, he simply listens. And God is on our side in our prayers! Even when …
The tension between profit for owners and quality of care is not a new one. Against the background described by these article, the COVID-19 pandemic draws attention to the two different priorities.
I have gathered a list – a collection of headlines – and I will update it because it provides a decades-long mirror into which we in Louisiana can gaze and see how our children have fared. The headlines are from news articles about Louisiana’s Kids Count ranking for child well-being. This may be obvious, but it is important to note: Nothing about this collection is new news. This is a 30-year news story that grows older, …
These are important reports related to Louisiana’s rank among the states on women’s rights, child well-being, poverty, and gender parity among elected officials. In summary, Louisiana comes up short in all of these reports.
I have a few thoughts to share today as I muse on some work I am doing on an historical report of annual newspaper headlines which describe the poor conditions of Louisiana’s children. I may ramble as I go, but here goes. The well-being of Louisiana’s children has lagged the nation for 30 years. Well, “lagged” is not quite accurate. The situation for children in Louisiana is much worse than that. Since 1989, Louisiana has averaged …
Read morelouisiana’s children and families require robust nonprofits
Here are a few recent articles related to Kinship Care, a form of foster care in which a state agency places children into the care of relatives. 1. A Kentucky Grandparent and Relative Caregiver Handbook, released in September by the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, is a comprehensive resource for relative caregivers in the Blue Grass State, and it provides great perspective for kinship families anywhere. I may be wrong, but this looks like an update …
Here are a few recent articles you may find interesting, related to the impact of COVID-19 on child care providers in Louisiana … 1. Child care providers and families face increased costs as state reopens, experts say “After 70% of Louisiana’s child care centers closed by the end of April due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many now are reopening as the businesses face higher costs due to necessary safety measures and reduced class sizes.” 2. The …
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Child welfare readings for 10/30/2020
Spend time with an infant and you cannot help but wonder, “why did God become a baby?” I enjoyed spending Thanksgiving week with my 11 month old grand daughter. She is such a delightful baby! Caring for her on my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding anniversary, I was overwhelmed by how absolutely vulnerable a baby is. Babies cannot protect themselves. They cannot obtain their own food. They cannot change their own diapers. They cannot bathe themselves. How …
I love this photograph. The lady on the left, Mrs. Prescilla Dean Fordham, was my great great great grandmother. Seated beside her is her son Dennis, my great great grandfather. Of course, his three brothers seated to the right of him were my great great uncles. What I enjoy about this picture is that it tells such a rich story of my own roots. The most fascinating tidbit I know about my great great grandfather Dennis …