Juvenile Detention Reform in Baltimore in the Year of Freddie Gray Baltimore, MD, instituted key improvements in juvenile detention reform with help from Casey's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, including major changes during a tumultuous 2015 after the race-related events surroundingthe tragic death of Freddie Gray. Read More
Community Investment Fund Spotlight: Introducing Kids to Urban Gardening This spotlight tells how, with the help of a $5,000 grant from the Community Investment Fund, kids in Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit V are learning important lessons about gardening, healthy living and more. Read More
Crisis — and Opportunity — in Delaware’s Child Welfare System In 2011, Delaware’s child welfare system wasn’t just in trouble — it was in crisis, with too many teens entering out-of-home care and later exiting foster care disconnected from family. To fix this broken system, the state launched a sweeping, data-driven reform effort called Outcomes Matter. The initiative boosted morale among caseworkers and gave kids and families a critical voice in the decision-making process. But the best part? The effort helped improve the well-being of Delaware’s children and families. Read More
How the Jim Casey Initiative Engages Young People Through the Jim Casey Initiative's nearly 15 years of experience in authentic youth engagement, Casey has identified three core values and guiding principles that enable us — and any organization or individual working with young people — to develop successful partnerships between young people and adults. Read More
Casey Foundation Announces Tenth Class of Children and Family Fellows Outstanding human service and social change leaders from 13 states will develop results-based leadership skills to build bright futures for children and families. Read More
With Casey Foundation Consultants, Delaware Bolsters Child Welfare Outcomes A return to their social work roots. That’s how caseworkers in Delaware’s state-run child welfare agency describe the results of a three-year improvement effort presented in Crisis and Opportunity in Delaware — a new Casey Foundation case study. Read More
New $5 Million Grant Program Will Connect Youth Facing Obstacles to Higher Education and Employment In partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund, the Annie E. Casey Foundation announced today that it plans to award $5.4 million in grants over the next three years to help more teens and young adults complete high school and postsecondary education and build paths to careers. Read More
Recasting American Apprenticeship A Summary of the Barriers to Apprenticeship Expansion Research Project This report presents new research and recommendations aimed at helping businesses recognize apprenticeships as a valuable, viable workforce development strategy. Its companion publication, Recasting Apprenticeship Annotated Bibliography, shares a collection of literature on apprenticeship. Read More
And the Survey Says: Aspen Institute Examines Efforts to Connect Young Adults to Jobs Nearly 6.7 million young adults are not working or in school, and the young adult unemployment rate hit 12.2% — more than double the national unemployment rate — in June 2015. The consequences of unemployment and underemployment can be long-lasting and include reduced wages, decreased productivity and shortened career ladders. Recognizing the challenges facing America’s youngest workers, the Foundation commissioned the Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative to examine how organizations are helping adults ages 18 to 29 succeed in today’s labor market. The report gathered feedback from nearly 400 individuals at 340 organizations nationwide. Read More
New Reports Provide a Roadmap for Creating Opportunities for Baltimore's Young People More than one in five young people ages 16 to 24 in Baltimore are neither in school nor working. Two recently released reports make important recommendations for finding new ways to reconnect these young people with education, training, jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities — focusing on expanding industry-specific training programs, fostering more collaboration between organizations and providing expanded support services for youth to help them succeed. Read More
