At nine months old, Autumn started banging her head. Victoria and Nathaniel had installed swings for their twin girls in the doorway of the living room, and Autumn would lean out of the swing in order to whack herself on the posts. They would carefully snuggle her back in, secure her, and pad the posts with pillows, but she continued to bang. Sometimes she banged with such … [Read more...] about Raising Disabled Children in an Unequal America
Making Change
How To Help Asylum Families
We all feel heartsick about the family separations happening to asylum seekers at the US border with Mexico. Despite a June court order that all children be reunited with their parents by the end of July, hundreds of families remain separated. Recently, two immigrant children died in US custody and alarming videos of detained children being physically abused were aired on … [Read more...] about How To Help Asylum Families
Equality and Justice for All Families
Americans are passionate about equality and justice, and these principles should be applied to family policy discussions. We need to transform the prevailing frame—the focus on “working families”—to one that embraces all families with inclusive family policies. The lens of equality and justice would illuminate the disparity between the value of parents’ roles in raising healt … [Read more...] about Equality and Justice for All Families
How to Be Part of Giving Tuesday
#Giving Tuesday was created seven years ago by a team from the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at the 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City that has been bringing people together around the values of service and giving back since 1874. #GivingTuesday connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations in order to celebrate and e … [Read more...] about How to Be Part of Giving Tuesday
Universal Children’s Day: November 20th
In 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that November 20th be observed worldwide as Universal Children's Day. November 20th was chosen because it was on November 20th that the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Universal Children's Day is a day of fraternity and u … [Read more...] about Universal Children’s Day: November 20th
Build a “We” Community
We live in a society that is all too often “every man or woman – or even child – for him or herself,” and these skewed values are shaping young generations. Do we really want to live in a world in which we can’t recognize that our neighbor’s triumphs and struggles are very much our own? What if, instead, we taught our children to embrace a “we” mentality as they grow and eventua … [Read more...] about Build a “We” Community
Go Screen Free: Change Your Life
Do you find yourself on Facebook or Instagram, scrollingscrollingscrolling and you don’t remember the moment when you actually picked up your phone? Are you arguing with your child when it is time for them to turn off their show or game and they whine, “But you’re looking at a screen!” And they are right? Do you think about things you would like to do and then immediately … [Read more...] about Go Screen Free: Change Your Life
Strong Gun Laws Save Lives
FACTS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE 31,347 people are killed with firearms each year in the US. The US has the highest rate of childhood homicide, suicide and firearm-related death among industrialized countries. Violence in the US is on the decline. In 2010, violent crime rates hit a low not seen since 1972. Ownership of guns in the US is at an all-time low. No … [Read more...] about Strong Gun Laws Save Lives
Promoting World Food Day
October 16th is World Food Day, a worldwide event designed to help alleviate hunger by raising awareness. It is held on October 16th to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945. Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world to promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and f … [Read more...] about Promoting World Food Day
Nurturing Young Entrepreneurs
Children are natural-born entrepreneurs. When they're toddlers, they make homemade mud pies and "sell" them to Mom or Dad. As they get older, they start to understand that adults will pay them small amounts of real money in exchange for goods or services, such as a cup of iced lemonade or walking their dog after school. In 2013, Operation HOPE launched a pilot pr … [Read more...] about Nurturing Young Entrepreneurs