A NOTE FROM ALLISON LAKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The traditional Masai greeting, Kasserianingera, means “how are the children?” It’s a way to frame what is most important — most essential. Today, the children are actually not so well. Granted, we are … Read More & Comment
In 2023 many children and their families are still struggling to recover from the extended COVID-19 pandemic. Children’s mental health lags as tensions in schools and our communities persist. In 2021, New York enacted the Child Poverty Reduction Act, committing … Read More & Comment
It’s hard to know where to begin. There has been a steady onslaught of new policies and actions that have targeted children and families lately with little regard for the long-term implications. From the separation of children from their families … Read More & Comment
From our Executive Director [IMPORTANT UPDATE BELOW] Westchester Children’s Association (WCA) is Westchester County’s only children’s advocacy organization focused on the welfare of children ages 0 to 25 and their families. We feel compelled to respond to the impact that … Read More & Comment
The recent increase in school shootings, including Parkland, has put school safety on everybody’s mind. School violence, unfortunately, has also been an issue that hits us close to home. On January 10, 2018, a 16- year old girl was stabbed … Read More & Comment
Since the release of Dreams Deferred in 2013, WCA’s Connecting Youth workgroup has worked on remedies to re-engage youth disconnected from work and school. The report recommends districts, “reduce exclusionary/disciplinary and suspension practices in school and encourage restorative practices”. Student … Read More & Comment
Our schools treat certain children differently from their peers. Children, as young as preschoolers, are subject to discrimination and bias, which can alter their future in sinister ways. School disciplinary practices disproportionately affect children of color, and it is a … Read More & Comment
The following blog post was authored by one of our 2017 summer interns, Caroline Sullivan. Caroline comes to WCA from Bucknell University where she is pursing her undergraduate degree both psychology and political science with a minor in women’s and gender studies. Caroline … Read More & Comment
