Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. This dynamic website provides news, stories and profiles, and gives the history of BBBSA. Tells how you can volunteer in your own community.The Black Community Crusade for Children. Coordinated by the Children's Defense Fund, the BCCC seeks to "weave and reweave the rich fabric of community that historically has been the cornerstone for the healthy development of Black children." Their goals are to tap into and strengthen the strong Black community tradition of self-help, to rebuild the bridges between generations and between the Black middle class and poor, to assist and galvanize current Black leadership around specific goals for children, and finally to identify, train, nurture, link, and empower a new generation of effective Black leaders under the age of 30.
CASA: The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association. CASA is made up of trained volunteers, appointed by a judge, who speak up for the best interests of children. CASA volunteers help abused and neglected children on their journey through the court system. The CASA website includes information on CASA programs, ways to volunteer, ways to help, volunteers' stories and links to other child advocacy sites.
Children's Advocacy Institute Information Clearinghouse on Children. The Information Clearinghouse on Children is a new project of the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law. The primary goal of the Information Clearinghouse on Children is "to stimulate more extensive and accurate public discussion on emerging issues affecting children's well-being, health and safety." Their website includes issue alerts, commentaries, news releases, information on current legislation affecting children, regulations affecting children, advocacy, reports and links.
Coalition for America's Children. The Coalition for America's Children is "an alliance of national, state, and local nonprofit organizations working to call attention to the serious obstacles impeding children's well-being and to boost children's concerns to the top of the public policy agenda." Site includes information on past and present national campaigns, lists of coalition members, and ideas for what you can do to get involved.
Children Now. Children Now is a nonpartisan, independent voice for children, working to translate the nation's commitment to children and families into action. Website includes resources on media advocacy, information on the Internet as a networking and advocacy tool, special programs that deal with family economics, health care advocacy, and support for working families. Action alerts tell you what you can do to help on a local and national level. Extensive links.
Children's Defense Fund. The Children's Defense Fund exists to "provide a strong and effective voice for all the children of America, who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves." The CDF pays particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. For over 25 years, CDF has been working to "create a nation in which the web of family, community, private sector, and government supports for children is so tightly woven that no child can slip through." Their goal is a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start for every child. The CDF website includes data on childhood poverty, articles, fact sheets, news and reports, and essays by Children's Defense Fund Director, Marion Wright Edelman. CDF also has available a variety of listservs for people interested in specific advocacy issues.
The Coroner's Report: Information and Resources on Gang Intervention and Prevention. This invaluable site, run by Steve Nawojczyk, the coroner of Little Rock, Arkansas, opens with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King: "The choice today is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It's either nonviolence or nonexistence." The Coroner's Report provides information about the dynamics of street gangs, a parent resource guide on the warning signs of child gang involvement, recommended reading and videos, a newsletter, lists of resources and links, and useful tips for parents and educators.
Early Childhood Care and Development. Provides international resources for child care, as well as development research, evaluation guidelines, and a review of international public policy issues affecting children from birth to eight.
Families and Work Institute. The Families and Work Institute is a non-profit organization that addresses the changing nature of work and family life. It supports the development of community mobilization forums to promote activism and change.
Family Resource Coalition of America. National organization committed to providing healthy, safe environments for children and families to live and work in. Helps build coalitions between schools, human services, health, and mental health care providers so they can better support families. Spearheads government lobbying efforts to make family and youth needs a priority. Advocates family-friendly policies and practices, provides resources and publications, and provides a network for grass-roots, community-based programs. Website includes inspiring examples of programs that help families succeed.
I Am Your Child. This website is just one part of the highly visible campaign that began in 1997 to focus the nation's attention on the importance of the first three years of life. The goals of the I Am Your Child Campaign are to raise public awareness, to provide families of young children with information and resources needed to promote healthy development, to unite and expand the work being done on the national, state and local levels to ensure quality health care, child care, parent education, and intervention programs for families at risk, and to increase the public commitment to make quality resources and services more widely available to families with young children. This visually beautiful site includes questions and answers, resources and references, expert advice and ideas about community mobilization.
Kids Campaigns. An information action center for parents, grandparents, policymakers, media, volunteers, mentors, community leaders, businesses, educators, religious leaders, children's advocates, and service providers who want to act on behalf of kids. Website profiles model programs and tells you how you can get involved. Includes book reviews, research and policy information, and a national database of organizations working on behalf of kids. A well-designed site chock full of valuable information.
Labor Project for Working Families. The Labor Project for Working Families works with unions to develop workplace policies for families, including child care, elder care, family leave, flexible work schedules, labor/management committees and much more. Website includes labor news, fact sheets, model contracts, and links to Internet resources on work/family and labor issues.
Mentoring/One to One/The National Mentoring Partnership. This wonderful site opens with a quote from Fortune Magazine: "The number one indicator of success for a child is a good relationship with a caring adult." One to One defines a mentor as a wise and trusted friend, a good listener; someone who cares; someone who has been there; someone to help you get to where you want to go. Their mission is to increase the availability of responsible personal and economic mentoring for America's young people. Their goal is to have 2 million children in responsible mentoring relationships by the year 2000. This site educates organizations, government and business about the importance of mentoring, tells young people how to find a mentor, and adults how to become one.
National Association of Child Advocates: Building a Movement for Children in States and Communities Across America. The National Association of Child Advocates (NACA) is "the collective voice of child advocacy organizations working on the front lines to ensure the safety, security, health and education of America's children." NACA's 55 member organizations are not direct service providers; rather they are advocates: they educate decision makers on children's programs, collect data on the status of children and the operation of children's programs, inform the public and the media about children's issues, and litigate on behalf of children when necessary. Website includes basics of child advocacy, information on publications and current projects, and membership information.
National Child Rights Alliance. A valuable collection of online articles from the National Child Rights Alliance, the only national organization directed entirely by youth and adult survivors of abuse and neglect. The NCRA works to support children who are being abused or "deprived of safety, food, dignity, medical care, shelter or emotional support by the actions of an individual parent or by the actions of a negligent society." NCRA seeks to change economic, social, legal, medical, cultural and parental practices that harm youth.
National Center for Children in Poverty. There are over 14 million children living in poverty in the United States. More than 5 million of them are under age six. The mission of the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) is to "identify and promote strategies that reduce the incidence of young child poverty in the United States and that improve the life chances of the millions of children under age six who are growing up poor." Website includes child poverty facts, news releases, state and local resources, information on welfare reform, child care, and families under stress, a newsletter, publications, and more.
Stand for Children. Stand for Children sponsors an annual day focusing the nation's attention on children's rights. As a result of "Stand," collaborative action continues in many states and communities through 240 Children's Action Teams (CATs). These grassroots teams improve children's lives through policy change, awareness-raising, and service initiatives. Stand for Children supports CATs with training, ongoing technical assistance, resource materials, and forums for communicating with other CATs.
