Annie E. Casey Foundation

Just back from a soul-shifting gathering in Puerto Rico with nearly 100 phenomenal Fellows from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Children and Family Fellowship. It was more than a convening—it was an experience rooted in place, purpose, and people. We showed up not as tourists or experts, but as complex guests, ready to listen, learn, and connect with the land, the youth, and the powerful leaders shaping Puerto Rico’s present and future. Reuniting with my Class Ocho cohort brought so much joy, and being in fellowship with the broader network left me both full and empty—full of purpose, energy, and admiration; emptied in the best way after pouring out love, truth, and commitment in community. The youth, the elders, the art, the music, and the movement work across Puerto Rico reminded us: solidarity is not symbolic. We’re returning home ready to take action, to deepen relationships, and to offer support where it’s invited. Puerto Rico, we see you. We thank you. And we’re with you.

Many young people in the justice system have experienced deep trauma that shapes how they act. Healing-centered approaches focus on care, connection and a sense of belonging instead of punishment to help young people grow and make amends for the harm they have caused. In this video, Casey’s Tanya Washington explores the role of heal­ing in creating safer com­mu­ni­ties and help­ing young peo­ple thrive. Read the Q&A to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eq_K2f8n

Baltimore’s YouthWorks program, operated by the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Employment Development, now offers year-round employment to city high school students, helping them gain paid work experience, explore career paths and stay connected to education. For Jaden Dixon, the experience was transformative. He worked as a coach, learned to box and gave back to his community. “YouthWorks is a great opportunity to build your resume, make a little money and bring out certain character traits you may not have known you had.”

We're pleased to announce the new class of the Children’s Health Leadership Network. This 18-month program supports public system leaders in improving children’s health. The 2025–2027 class includes teams from Connecticut and Hawaii, both working to strengthen support for children and youth with moderate-to-high behavioral health needs and their families. Read more: https://lnkd.in/epjFrtH7

When a hurricane wipes out a region’s child care system, how do families recover? After Hurricane Florence devastated eastern North Carolina, many parents still struggle to find care — and many providers haven’t returned. With limited funding, staffing shortages and growing climate threats, questions remain about how to create a stronger, more resilient child care system for the future.

Congratulations to our first class of the Rising Leaders Fellowship!! Last week I had the opportunity to celebrate 14 emerg­ing lead­ers who completed our new Ris­ing Lead­ers for Results Fel­low­ship. https://lnkd.in/ecvzVRui The cohort — which ranges in age from 24 to 31 and rep­re­sents the pub­lic, non­prof­it and for-prof­it sec­tors — worked with­in their orga­ni­za­tions and com­mu­ni­ties toward spe­cif­ic, mea­sur­able improve­ments for young peo­ple and families over the last 18 months. We are so very proud of their accomplishments and can't wait to see what more they will achieve for children, families and communities using their new skills and relationships.

Work­ers suc­ceed when they are sup­port­ed at work, feel con­nect­ed to their col­leagues and under­stand their role in the work­place. Invest­ing in sup­port­ive work envi­ron­ments helps every­one, includ­ing young peo­ple who’ve been in fos­ter care, show up and be their best selves. A new toolkit funded by Annie E. Casey Foundation helps workforce and child welfare leaders create environments where young workers can thrive and organizations can benefit from their strengths. Young people played a critical role in shaping this resource. Two youth fellows helped lead virtual site visits, synthesized key insights and collaborated with practitioners. We also engaged young leaders in a working session to identify the toolkit’s core elements. Their voices and perspectives were essential throughout the process. In this video, I share why supportive workplaces matter and how we can all help connect young people to meaningful opportunities. Find the full tool kit on our website: https://lnkd.in/gz5JcTVA

Nationwide, more than 3.6 million children — 5% of all kids — lived in unsafe communities in 2020–2021. However, this percentage varies by state, from 2% in Wyoming to 10% in New York.

“They’re just not allowed to have a bad day. ‘We have a bad day, that means we get put on medication.’ Those kinds of stories I’ve been hearing for 30 years.” Federal audits have found that children in foster care were being prescribed psychotropic medications at significantly higher rates than other youth, often beginning in early childhood. Despite these findings, at least 10 states still lack formal guidelines on how these medications should be used with children in foster care.

Young people are motivated and curious about a wide range of careers. When they have early exposure to work and opportunities to build skills, they’re more likely to find steady jobs and earn wages that can support a family later on. Experiences like internships, apprenticeships and summer jobs help young people gain confidence, credentials and connections that shape their future.