A hand gripping through a torn paper hole.

What the Future Holds For At-Risk Children In America

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

America’s children are living through a historic experiment: what happens when a president dismantles the programs that feed them, teach them, heal them, and protect them. Under this administration, at risk children face more hunger, less health care, fewer early education opportunities, harsher immigration enforcement, and weaker child protection. This post explains what the future holds for America’s at risk children and what we must do now to change that.

Logo of Invisible Children, advocating for at-risk youth.

Project 2025 and Children: How Federal Cuts Are Dismantling Supports Kids Need to Survive and Thrive

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Children's Rights, Education, KARA News and Events, Media, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

Project 2025 and allied budget plans would slash or eliminate programs that children rely on for health care, nutrition, early childhood education, civil rights protections, and child welfare support. KARA summarizes CWLA and other advocates’ warnings, shows how child poverty and hunger are already rising, and urges you to share this information and call your lawmakers before more supports for kids disappear.

Logo of Kara, an organization for kids at risk action.

If Lawmakers Only Knew: Why CPS Needs De‑Identified Longitudinal Family Records

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, childabuse, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - US Based

Most CPS reporting gives lawmakers only snapshots: how many kids are in care today, how many reports this year. KARA argues that counties must keep de identified, family level longitudinal records so legislators can see multi generational involvement, understand which interventions reduce repeat removals, and design policies that break cycles of trauma instead of just managing them case by case, year by year.

Message highlighting the impact of neglect on children's protection.

Update: Minnesota’s Supreme Court Council on Child Protection and Maltreatment Prevention

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Minnesota’s new Supreme Court Council on Child Protection and Maltreatment Prevention is building a statewide blueprint to prevent child abuse and improve how the system works for families once they’re involved. Safe Passage helped launch this effort and is now tracking early reforms from Family Resource Centers to better training, legal representation, and foster youth supports and highlighting ways stakeholders can give input.

Students engaging actively in a classroom setting with the theme 'ACES Impact in the Classroom'.

What You Can Do Series – School Principals

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Education, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

School principals and administrators are on the front lines of childhood trauma and healing. This chapter explains what they can do: create trauma informed school climates, implement early screening and embedded support services, reshape discipline away from zero tolerance, build robust mental health and wellness systems, engage families and community partners, and advocate for policies and funding that keep vulnerable students safe and help them heal.

A colorful figure behind window bars in a sketch style.

Youth Tried as Adults: Life Sentences, Trauma, and the Failure of America’s Juvenile Justice System

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

Children in the U.S. are still being tried as adults and sentenced to die in prison. This post explains how juvenile life sentences work, the trauma and racial injustice they reflect, what adult prisons do to kids, and where real reform is finally beginning to take hold.

Green and white capsules spilling out of a white bottle.

Parental Drug Use Killing Children in Pennsylvania at High Rates (investigative report)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Children's Rights, KARA News and Events, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

An investigative report from Pennsylvania’s TribLive found that nearly 30% of 845 child deaths and near-deaths from 2018–2022 were tied to parental drug use—often in families already known to Child Protective Services. Similar patterns are emerging in Minnesota, Allegheny County and other states. This KARA article shares real children’s stories, shows how CPS and child-fatality systems are failing to track the true scale of drug-related child deaths, and calls on adults everywhere to demand better data, oversight and protection.

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Corporate Power, Global Value Chains and Child Labour in Bangladesh

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, childabuse, Children's Rights, Guest Posts, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International

Global value chains and multinational enterprises hold enormous power over labour practices in Bangladesh’s garment and leather industries. As responsibility for working conditions shifts from the state toward corporate social responsibility, under resourced labour inspectorates and export dependent strategies leave child labour embedded in business models.
This post uses Michael E. Nielsen’s 2005 analysis and CLARISSA’s research to show how precarious contracts, foreign loans, rising material costs and fragmented supply chains push informal enterprises to cut labour costs by relying on children. It argues that corporate acceptance of “that’s just the way things are done over there” hides the real drivers of child labour and that both nation states and corporations must change how they structure production if they are serious about ending exploitation.

Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

Alaska’s Hidden Child Trauma: Beyond CPS Number

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, childabuse, DEEP DIVE, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, The States

The Alaska Children’s Alliance warns that Alaska has “some of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the nation,” noting research that 38% of children born in Alaska will be reported to child welfare before age 10 and nearly 1 in 7 will face an allegation of sexual abuse before age 12

Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

Ending Meaningful Child Protection in America

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, neglect, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

A federal “bonfire of deregulation” and plans to erase “neglect” from child protection law are quietly dismantling Child Protective Services in America. Backed by the president and his base, these policies weaken legal protections, strip away thousands of pages of guidance, hide crucial government information, and slash funding—placing at‑risk children and families in even greater danger.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Foster Care Realities, Problems, and Solutions

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Their stories

Foster care is meant to protect children whose lives are in danger, but for many youth, it leads to a painful transition into adulthood with little support and almost no transparency. Most critical data in Child Protective Services (CPS) is never tracked or reported, and decades of experience show that nearly 80% of youth aging out of foster care go on to lead dysfunctional lives, with enormous costs to public health, safety, and education.
This article, based on the work of Minnesota’s FOSTER ADVOCATES, explores the realities of foster care and the Extended Foster Care (EFC) program: the barriers youth face, the strengths of EFC, and the systemic gaps in housing, data, training, and life skills preparation. It concludes with 14 recommendations to improve data, accountability, and support so that foster youth are not punished for trauma, but given a real chance at stability and success.
Read, share, and then contact your legislators using the links provided to demand better outcomes for foster youth

Logo for Invisible Children, raising awareness for abducted kids.

Self-Destructive Habits of Institutions

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Guest Posts, Public Policy

Using KARA’s friend Ned’s “backwards car” analogy, this post explains how Child Protective Services is structured to protect its own bureaucracy rather than children. Conflicts of interest, secrecy, and missing metrics mean CPS often produces what it was designed to stop. The fix starts with transparency and informed legislators.

Black T-shirt with bold white text promoting kids' voices.

Leadership and Child Protection

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, Featured Articles, Public Policy

Child Protective Services exists to protect children, yet recent investigations show children being tortured, brutalized, and even murdered while known to CPS. Leadership that values efficiency over child safety is failing its mission. CASA’s “For the Child” model shows what child centered leadership should look like—and why urgent change is needed to stop preventable child deaths.

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Why Every State Needs a Foster Led Child Welfare Promise

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based, Their stories

The Minnesota Promise Report is a foster led blueprint for changing how states treat children in CPS and foster care. It combines listening sessions, data, and bold ideas from Fosters themselves to define what it would mean for a state to truly keep its promise to children. Sharing this report with colleagues and state representatives is one way to support Foster Advocates—and to spark similar efforts across the country.

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Best and Worst States for Very Young Children in CPS: New Data on Risk, Failures, and Hope

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Guest Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, RESEARCH

This article uses NCANDS data to identify the best and worst states for very young children in CPS, highlighting where infants and toddlers face the greatest risk of severe harm or death and how troubled, overwhelmed child protection systems are struggling with heavy caseloads and too few resources. It points lawmakers, advocates, and communities toward more transparent CPS reporting, stronger early childhood support, and data driven reforms that can actually protect kids and support families.

Two children playing outside near a brick building and wooden door.

How Foster Care and Group Homes Fail America’s Most Troubled Children

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Public Policy, Statistics

Foster care and group homes are supposed to protect our most troubled children, but for many they become another source of trauma. Youth in care face unstable placements, high rates of mental illness, overrepresentation in group homes, and far greater odds of homelessness, exploitation, and incarceration when they age out.

Children holding signs advocating for children's rights and voices.

Alex Miller’s Leadership Is Rebuilding Minnesota’s CASA Program

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, childabuse, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Minnesota’s Guardian ad Litem and CASA program has been under real strain—lost volunteers, rising caseloads, and stressed systems have put vulnerable children at risk. Alex Miller’s Minnesota CASA leadership as Chief Information Officer and Interim Program Administrator is helping move the program from crisis toward recovery. By modernizing technology, strengthening data security, and working transparently with the State Guardian ad Litem Board, he has helped stabilize turnover and rebuild trust. The result is a system that is slowly regaining its footing and putting more trained, supported advocates in the lives of abused and neglected children.

Two children focused on writing in a notebook together.

Part 3: Scaling the “Minnesota Model” for Maximum ROI Impact

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Data, Day Care and Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Market-based scholarship programs like Minnesota’s Early Learning Scholarships (MELS) prove these returns are scalable. MELS provides vouchers to low-income parents, empowering them to choose high-quality programs. Result: an 18% inflation-adjusted public ROI—higher than the S&P 500’s historical average111210. The keys to replicating this success are: Targeting at-risk children: Returns exceed $17 per dollar in high-poverty neighborhoods7. Parent empowerment:…

Children of diverse backgrounds holding hands around Earth.

Part 4 of 5: Why Early Childhood Investment Outperforms Remedial Spending

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Data, Day Care and Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Compared to other government expenditures, early childhood programs are uniquely cost-effective. K–12 education spends ~$15,000/student annually with diminishing returns; prison systems cost $40,000/inmate yearly with high recidivism. Meanwhile, early childhood interventions like Head Start save $4.8B–$16.1B per

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Northeastern University Study on the Child Welfare Crisis With Projections

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, childabuse, Guest Posts, Public Policy, Stunning Statistics

Official child welfare numbers may capture only part of the crisis. This analysis explains how poverty, Family Assessment practices, underreporting, misreporting, and weak transparency can hide the true scale of harm to children—and why future projections must account for what the system fails to record.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

In Custody, In Crisis (podcast episode #1)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, childabuse, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING, PODCASTS, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

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

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Why We Hide Child Abuse Data

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Social workers face secondary trauma and burnout in a child protection system that hides basic child outcome data. When CPS agencies use HIPAA as a “red herring” to block even de identified information, lawmakers and communities can’t fix what’s broken—and children and workers continue to suffer in the dark.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Recruiting Child Soldiers (yes, we do)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Children's Rights, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - US Based

This article from 2013 is still true today with no signs of changing. It needs to be shared with your states lawmakers: The United States is the only nation that has not signed the United Nation’s International Rights Of the Child Treaty of the 1980’s.  A primary reason we refuse to sign the treaty is…

Two children reading a book together on the floor.

Part 2: The Science Behind Early Childhood Returns (ROI)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Data, Day Care and Education, Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

The extraordinary ROI of early childhood programs stems from neurobiological and economic synergy. During ages 0–5, the brain forms 1 million neural connections per second, creating foundational skills that dictate lifelong learning, health, and behavior56. Programs like Child-Parent Centers leverage this plasticity: at-risk children receiving enriched preschool and parent mentoring achieved $10.83 in societal benefits per dollar spent by age…

Silhouette filled with negative self-descriptive words representing low self-esteem.

Foster Care Mental Health Needs, Costs, and Facts for Minnesota & The Nation

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Stunning Statistics

There is an underappreciated reality that Child Protective Services is the only safe haven for children living with rape, violence and neglect as they are too young to defend themselves.

Sign advocating for social justice and children's rights.

International Rights of the Child Treaty (& why jails are full)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Over 25 years ago the rest of the world (194 nations) decided that children have basic human rights and begin signing the International Rights of the Child Treaty. Under this document, children are to have the rights to education, safety and well being including not to be made soldiers, not to be enslaved).

America is the only nation that has not signed that agreement, largely because we still demand that southern states continue to militarize youth as young as eleven, through military schools.

A black face mask with the phrase 'GIVE KIDS A VOICE' printed in white.

Family First & Child Neglect Studies and Reporting

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Featured Articles, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Contrary to a common assumption, neglect is not less damaging than abuse. Research shows neglect victims have lifelong problems because they miss developmental milestones around language, self-control, and bonding with others.

A constant dilemma in neglect cases is whether to traumatize children by removing them from their families, or leave them in situations where their brains aren’t developing normally.

Quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs can make it possible to leave children at home while helping their parents improve parenting skills.

This study documents that neglect victims who got ECE moved quickly from having a language deficit to the normal range. Language development is critical to academic success and positive interpersonal relationships.
ECE can help many children avoid foster care and still obtain the baseline skills they need to thrive.

Join the Discussion on Facebook

Make a difference for the children of Minnesota today,
Donate Here!

Message highlighting the impact of neglect on children's protection.

“Kids Are Slowly Being Neglected To Death” – Hennepin County Judge Jane Ranum (Thank You from the children in my caseload)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Children's Rights, NEGLECT, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are not just difficult memories—they’re powerful risk factors that shape how a child’s brain and body develop across a lifetime. In this Kids at Risk Action podcast, hosts Alex and Jordan explore how abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and other ACEs can lead to PTSD like symptoms, chronic stress, and higher risks of mental illness, addiction, and early death. They connect these experiences to systemic gaps in child welfare, schools, and health care, where children too often receive help only after they are in crisis instead of when early warning signs appear. The episode calls for trauma informed care, ACEs screening, and policy changes that fund prevention and resilience building, urging listeners to advocate for better support and a more compassionate, proactive approach to child welfare.

Close-up of a child's face with braided hair against a dark background.

The Foster Care Data We Don’t Track – And How This Hurts Children

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child self harm and suicide, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Most of what we know about foster care comes from very thin data: how many children are in care, how many enter or exit each year. That’s not enough to guide policy or spending. This post explains which foster care outcomes Minnesota and other states still don’t track—years stuck in care, abuse in placement, endless moves, school disruption, medication without therapy, and what happens after youth age out—and why demanding honest, de‑identified data is one of the most powerful things you can do for abused and neglected children in your community.

Logo of Invisible Children, advocating for at-risk youth.

Children Are Under Attack: How Federal Funding Cuts Are Dismantling Kids’ Lifelines

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Children's Rights, Education, KARA News and Events, Media, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

Across the country, children’s lifelines are being quietly dismantled. Federal budget cuts and Project 2025–aligned proposals are targeting Medicaid and CHIP, SNAP and school meals, Head Start, child care, disability supports, civil rights protections, and even child abuse prevention and CASA programs. These changes will deepen child poverty and hunger, push more families into crisis, and “decimate the human services field,” according to the Child Welfare League of America. This post pulls together sources on what’s being cut, who is most at risk—especially immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQ+ children—and how you can call your elected officials and demand that child serving programs be protected, not eliminated.

A colorful figure behind window bars in a sketch style.

Child Abuse & Prosecution in Texas: Kids, Courts, and a Broken System

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, The States

Child abuse and prosecution in Texas tell a complex story that goes far beyond headline grabbing stings. Operation Soteria Shield rescued more than 100 children and led to over 200 arrests in a major FBI led crackdown on online child exploitation, while new state laws now require Texas schools to report educator misconduct and abuse more rigorously. At the same time, federal investigators have found unconstitutional conditions across Texas juvenile justice facilities, including sexual abuse, excessive force, and prolonged isolation, and judges have called the state’s use of psychotropic medications on foster youth “appalling,” with many children prescribed multiple powerful drugs without adequate oversight. Rising youth violence, racial disparities in child welfare and school discipline, and a documented child to prison pipeline mean that prosecution alone cannot keep children safe. This KARA report brings together data and sources on child abuse cases, foster care failures, juvenile justice, mental health, and recent legal reforms in Texas—and calls for trauma informed services, diversion programs, and stronger accountability to truly protect vulnerable children instead of merely reacting after the harm is done.

Empty classroom with text about ACES impact and hashtag #WEARENOTOK.

School Performance, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow & What To Do

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, Stunning Statistics

• “Since 2020, national and state test data show steep declines in foundational reading and math skills that are not bouncing back on their own. If current trends hold, by 2034 a majority of U.S. students will need remedial support, deepening poverty, crime, and inequality across whole communities. This post pulls together NAEP, ACT, SAT, and state level projections—and outlines what leaders, advocates, and communities can do right now to change the trajectory.”

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Sometimes People Get Shot

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Gun Violence and Control, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

• “From Cedarbluff, Mississippi, to parties in Houston and homes in Indiana, early 2026 brought mass shootings that briefly made headlines and then faded. This essay connects those tragedies to a deeper crisis: how our systems ignore childhood trauma, underfund mental health, and invest billions in punishment instead of care—creating adults who are dangerous because we failed them as children.”

A black face mask with the phrase 'GIVE KIDS A VOICE' printed in white.

Family First & Child Neglect Studies and Reporting 2

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Featured Articles, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

Contrary to a common assumption, neglect is not less damaging than abuse. Research shows neglect victims have lifelong problems because they miss developmental milestones around language, self-control, and bonding with others.

A constant dilemma in neglect cases is whether to traumatize children by removing them from their families, or leave them in situations where their brains aren’t developing normally.

Quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs can make it possible to leave children at home while helping their parents improve parenting skills.

This study documents that neglect victims who got ECE moved quickly from having a language deficit to the normal range. Language development is critical to academic success and positive interpersonal relationships.
ECE can help many children avoid foster care and still obtain the baseline skills they need to thrive.

Join the Discussion on Facebook

Make a difference for the children of Minnesota today,
Donate Here!

Black T-shirt with white text promoting kids' voices.

Cost Neutral Child Protection: The Deadly Lesson of Gabriel Fernandez

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Their stories

When paramedics arrived, eight-year old Gabriel Fernandez was not conscious. His skull was cracked. Three ribs were broken. Bruises and burns covered his body. Two teeth were knocked out of his mouth. X-rays would later show that the third-grader had BB pellets embedded in his lung and groin. Gabriel’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, 29, and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, 32, told the paramedics that Gabriel’s injuries were self-induced. Later Aguirre said that he delivered ten or so blows to Gabriel’s stomach for lying and “being dirty.”

Before Gabriel’s death, his mother was the target of six investigations of child abuse. One of Gabriel’s teachers reported the boy coming to school battered. One of Gabriel’s therapists reported that Gabriel said that he was forced to perform oral sex on a family member. Gabriel told a teacher he’d been beat with a belt buckle until he bled and his mother shot him with a BB gun. Gabriel wrote a suicide note, found by his teacher.

According to documents obtained by the LA Times and a recent wrongful death lawsuit filed by Gabriel’s grandparents, Gabriel was never interviewed privately by a social worker about his abuse. Fernandez and Aguirre have been charged with first degree murder of a child. The two have yet to enter their pleas. Two months after Gabriel’s death, four DCFS employees related to his case were fired.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Child Abuse and the Domino Effect: Why Lawmakers Need Real Data

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

When lawmakers finally see the human and financial numbers behind child abuse and neglect, our politics can treat it as the national emergency it is—not a niche social‑services problem. Over a lifetime, the “domino effect” of abused and neglected children touches every system we claim to care about: schools, crime, taxes, public health, and public safety

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Why Minnesota’s Youngest Students Are Turning Violent: Childhood Trauma in K–3 Classrooms

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

“157 staff injuries and 142 cleared classrooms in a single year raise a hard question: Why are Minnesota’s youngest students turning violent? This piece traces those outbursts back to unhealed childhood trauma—and outlines what K–3 schools, families, and policymakers must do differently if we want safer classrooms instead of more suspensions.”

Mother comforting her child outside a brick building.

Cash vs. CPS: What $14 Million Really Buys

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, childabuse, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, The States

Flint’s Rx Kids program has spent about $14 million giving pregnant and new parents roughly $6,250 per baby in flexible cash—money families use for rent, food, diapers, and medical care. By contrast, CDC linked research puts the lifetime cost of a single child maltreatment case at roughly $830,000, and a year of foster care can cost $41,000 or more per child. If cash support keeps even a small share of vulnerable families out of CPS, the investment likely pays for itself many times over—while sparing children the trauma of removal and system involvement.

Children of diverse backgrounds holding hands around Earth.

Nation Out of Step: An Early Childhood Education Manifesto for 2026

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Featured Articles, Public Policy, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Education is the engine of progress and prosperity. A nation that underinvests in its children’s earliest years limits its own future. Neuroscience and economics now converge on a simple truth: what happens from birth to age five shapes the brain, health, behavior, and earning power for life—and early childhood education is where that development can be steered toward success.

Two hands gently holding each other in a comforting gesture.

From Classrooms to Homeless Shelters: How Our Choices Hurt Children

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, childabuse, Education, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Compared to other advanced nations America treats children and the people who care for them as an afterthought and then acts surprised when our schools and child‑welfare systems are overwhelmed with troubled children suffering from health and mental health issues.

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Fosters and the Orphan Tax: How States Take Social Security from Foster Youth ________________________________________

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Children's Rights, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Most foster youth only discover years later that Social Security benefits meant for them were taken by counties to “reimburse” foster care costs, leaving them to age out with no savings, no housing deposit, and no money for school or a car. With up to one third experiencing homelessness by their mid 20s and earning far less than their peers, every dollar matters. This post explains how the so called “orphan tax” works, why the complexity argument is specious, and how existing Social Security and ABLE style accounts could be used to protect foster youths’ benefits instead of padding agency budgets.

Black T-shirt with bold white text promoting kids' voices.

America’s Child Protection Crisis: Last Week’s Most Alarming CPS Cases and Reforms

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, The States

Each week, children are escaping brutal homes, being harmed in foster care, and caught in CPS systems that too often miss clear danger or punish families without proof. From multimillion‑dollar settlements and court battles in Texas, Washington, New York, and Illinois to new laws and policies that could reshape how abuse and neglect are investigated, this roundup highlights the most urgent child protection stories advocates, professionals, and concerned community members need to see right now.