Part 1: The Unmatched ROI of Early Childhood Programs
high-quality early childhood interventions deliver the highest public return on investment (ROI) of any government expenditure
In Custody, In Crisis (podcast episode #1)
dive into the “ground truth” of the foster care system — exposing the often-unseen hardships children face even after being placed in protective care. Through heartbreaking stories like Alex’s and alarming statistics on abuse
Foster Child Self-Harm & Suicide June 2025
Childhood trauma, suicide and self-harm among American youth are at historic highs, with alarming increases among fosters, preteens, girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and children of color. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for ages 10–24, and nearly one in five high school students has seriously considered suicide in the past year. Rates of…
What Child Protection Means in Minnesota (KARA Podcast)
the tragic case of six-year-old Eli Hart, who was murdered despite being known to Child Protective Services (CPS) and how a lack of transparency and accountability contributes to the ongoing crisis
This year’s Budget, Bills, and Abused Children
For the next biennium, legislators appropriated 40 million dollars to modernize Minnesota’s Social Services Information System. This will create more training, collection of child welfare data, clarity, transparency, and best practices throughout the “life of a case” and shine a light on how well or poorly programs and policies are working. This upgrade of our…
What Happened to Aaliya Goodwin (a KARA Podcast)
the heartbreaking case of five-month-old Aaliya Goodwin, who died of positional asphyxia while under the care of her drug-abusing parents. Despite multiple reports of neglect, substance abuse, and unsafe conditions, Aaliya remained in the home due to systemic failures in Minnesota’s child protection system
A Win For Abused Children of Minnesota
Safe Passage For Children of Minnesota has helped bring the issue of transparency of child abuse death and near death into the light and Legislature in our State. In about three weeks, Minnesota will create a statewide child fatality and near fatality review panel to track cases of children dying and suffering egregious harm while…
The Beatings Will Continue (KARA Podcast)
the alarming failures within the child welfare system, focusing on the story of Yanelin Montalvo-Valdez, a woman who grew up in foster care and faced immense trauma, only to be further failed by the system as an adult
Politics, Religion, and At-Risk Children
This is a dangerous time to be an abused child in America. Slash and burn politics and religious organizations are dismantling a large percentage of government and non governmental agencies keeping children safe. The COVID lockdown kept defenseless children in horrific circumstances without access to safety or healing for two years. Services before COVID and…
MN Guardian ad Litem Program by the Numbers
47 years ago, the CASA volunteer Guardian ad Litem program came to Minnesota. At the time, some children were not able to have a CASA Guardian assigned because there were not enough volunteers to keep up with growing caseloads. This CASA remembers between 50 and 100 children throughout the year not having a CASA to…