As you’re out Back to School shopping with your kids for their new backpacks and outfits, you need to set aside some time to talk to your kids about what it means to be safe. Children experience a plethora of changes as they age into school and progress through elementary, middle and high school. Each […]
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How To Ensure Your Students Have A Safe School Year
If you are a teacher, volunteer, or work with children, it is imperative that you are aware of legal and regulatory changes. Whether at home or school, protecting students from harm is a responsibility borne by adults, and especially if you are considered a mandated reporter. A list of individuals identified as mandated reporters is […]
What Gratitude Means To Us On #Givingtuesday (And All Year ‘Round)
“Expressing gratitude” is a term you hear a lot around the holidays, along with other phrases like “winter wonderland,” “holiday sales” and “maybe just one more piece of pie.” Of course, when you depend on the generosity of others to perform your work, gratitude becomes more than just an annual event. It’s something we experience […]
A Plea To Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court Justices: Treat Pregnant, Drug-Addicted Moms With Compassion
One evening during the blizzard of 1993, my biological mother surrendered me to the life-long care of my maternal grandmother. I was five-years old. She packed a bag, bundled me in layers, and walked me out the front door — instructing me to wait until someone came to pick me up. As an adult, I […]
When It Comes To Child Sexual Abuse, We are Out of Forgiveness, Patience & Time
Although the grand jury report’s findings have been speculated upon for months, the details it reveals of systemic and widespread sexual abuse of children by priests – and the cover-up of that abuse – in six dioceses in Pennsylvania are shocking and deeply offensive. Childhood should be a time of innocence. Those who perpetrated these […]
Protecting Infants, Supporting Mothers
Even a quick scan of the daily news tells the story of the opioid epidemic that causes devastating harm to the substance user, her children and family, and the larger community. You don’t have to look far to find the story of a tragic death from overdose or a report on the harm that Substance […]
Full Stop: Children Cannot Consent To Sex With An Adult. Ever.
I have long heard that as people age, the shock factor decreases and very little about human behavior is surprising. That was not my experience as I heard Milo Yiannopoulos’ comments seemingly advocating for sex between young teens and adults. I mean seriously, what the hell is this man thinking? I am uncertain if he […]
Every Child In PA Deserves & Needs A Champion
I’ve noticed lately that I’m weary from “bad news.” Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that we gloss over the dangers and atrocities in our communities. You know what I mean; the kind of news that tells us despite all our good works, bad things happen that we can scarcely imagine before we […]
A Champion For Children
It seems like a lifetime ago, and in many respects it was. I was a tender, 25-year-old administrator of a crisis nursery in York County. On so many levels, I was in over my head. I knew little about county government, much less state or federal. Truth be known, I am not sure I had […]
