Latest News

Good news on teen pregnancies

Years ago, I remember walking into the den while my daughter was watching the reality TV show “16 and Pregnant.” I was initially shocked. MTV was pretty much a “no-no” in my house, and she was still pretty young to be watching it, in my opinion.

Instead of freaking out, I decided to watch an episode with her and let it launch a conversation that I’ve tried to keep open since then. Trust me, the episode was wrought with all kinds of teen drama, giving us plenty of things to talk about.

May 11, 2016

Going Upstream for Crisis Prevention

Imagine you and I are taking a walk together. We’re strolling through the woods on a sunny, warm day when we hear water and people in the distance.

We walk toward the sound and come up to a river rushing fast from recent rain. We are alarmed to see people in the water being swept away by the current. We also see a crowd of people standing on the banks, working furiously to pull them to safety.

We rush to join the crowd on the banks and begin working alongside them, pulling people out as quickly as we can. It seems the harder we work, the more people there are to be rescued.

April 6, 2016

Make a difference in kids’ lives

“DSS dropped off a 4-day-old baby girl today.”

A huge smile crept across my face, and at the same time, tears filled my eyes in a mixture of both joy and sadness when I read that in a text message. Sadness about whatever unknown situation had a 4-day-old baby needing a safe and secure home, and joy that my friends would get to be her foster parents.

March 9, 2016

Child care has long-term impact

I can hardly wait to cheer on “our” home team, the Carolina Panthers, on Super Bowl Sunday! It is easy to see how having national sports teams feed our state’s economy. The money that the sports industry generates is obvious, and it clearly impacts many associated markets.

Would you believe me if I told you that the child care industry in North Carolina generates more than $1.7 billion a year, and that figure is on par with the revenue generated by the spectator sports industry in North Carolina (think Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Charlotte Hornets)?

February 3, 2016

Our “Pit Crew” Fills a Vital Need

My family’s Eastern North Carolina roots meant I grew up with NASCAR in the background on TV. I barely paid attention, and outside of being able to tell you that a man named Richard Petty drove a race car, I couldn’t have told you a thing about the sport until I attended my first race in the fall of 2014. I was lucky enough to learn a little bit about it from a former NASCAR pit crew member who patiently explained it to me. There’s much more to it than cars going fast around a track. My favorite part may have been watching the pit crew at work. It is fascinating.

January 14, 2016

Building Brains Builds All of Us

Last spring, I sat with a group of volunteers in a classroom at Hendersonville High School getting ready to judge senior project presentations. A young woman walked in and I mistook her for a teacher. My interest was piqued when I realized she was one of the students I’d be judging because her poise and demeanor suggested a more mature person. When all the students had gathered, we went around the room introducing ourselves, trying to create a friendly environment and encouraging them to relax so they could do their best.

November 4, 2015

Building an Asset-Rich Community for our Children

Think back to when you were a child. Can you think of an adult outside of your immediate family (not your parents or grandparents) who had a positive influence on your life? What are three things about that person that stood out to you?
I sat in a training session with my coworkers recently and we were asked to go through this exercise. Here are the things we said out these special people in our lives: authentic, real, consistent, vulnerable, relatable, willing to fight for me (literally), advocate, honest, they showed up, they were nonjudgmental,

October 26, 2015

Mental Health Services Lacking for Local Children

I’ve heard two comments in the past week that are disturbing. One was from a local pediatrician who lamented that there was only one pediatric psychiatrist (a different level of training than a psychiatrist who treats adults) in WNC who accepts Medicaid, leaving many of the children in her care without quick access to the help they need.

October 26, 2015

“The Talk”

”My child is too young to talk about that”

“I don’t know what to say”

“What if my child asks something I can’t answer?”

There are a lot of different reasons Parents hesitate to discuss puberty, relationships, and sexual health with their children. Kids trust and want to learn this information from parents. In fact, many wish their parents bring would up topics about relationships and sexual health with them more often. This is great news! Now where to start…Check out these 5 tips for tackling “The Talk”:

October 1, 2015

The Creativity Crisis: What we can do as parents to help our child be successful through play and the arts

Before I was a parent, I considered myself to be not as creative as many other friends and family. I struggled with crafts and felt frustrated with the outcome of my artistic projects. I worried that I would pass along this clumsy-with-art-trait to my son, but also felt like well, being artistic and creative isn’t that important is it? Can’t I rely on teachers to help me teach these things? And isn’t my toddler just a little young to really get it?

August 27, 2015