Youth Policy

MinneMinds makes the case for more state spending on poor kids

By Cynthia Boyd, MinnPost

If you’re going to ask the Legislature for heaps of money to send poor children to preschool and otherwise help prepare them for kindergarten, it sure doesn’t hurt to give your coalition a name that pulls at the heart strings.

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Child abuse in Minnesota: Change is coming

By James Parkington and Rich Gehrman, Minnesota 2020

Our series on child welfare has called attention to a report by the state’s Office of the Legislative Auditor, which found that standards for child maltreatment vary widely across the state and that counties do not keep data about reports consistently.

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Minnesota 2020

Grandmother's fight for her grandchildren reaches the state Supreme Court

By Harry Colbert, Jr. , Insight News

Dorothy Dunning

Dorothy Dunning loves her grandchildren.

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Connections to Independence builds bridges from foster care to positive futures for youth in Minneapolis

By Makula Dunbar, TC Daily Planet

From left: Lina, DeVante and Tiffany at Connections to Independence

Makula Dunbar

Contrary to how most people view it, Tiffany — a teen who’s just become familiar with the foster care system — says it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

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Child abuse in Minnesota: A new approach

By James Parkington and Rich Gehrman, Minnesota 2020

Every year Minnesota’s child protection staff screen in approximately 18,000 reports of child maltreatment for review. Nearly 70% of these are assigned to the state’s voluntary Family Assessment program. Though the purpose of the program is to promote family stability and child safety, recent data indicates that few families receive any services.

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Minnesota 2020

Adoption article provokes heated reader responses

By Alleen Brown, TC Daily Planet

On November 16, the Daily Planet featured a Q and A with Sarah Hamlin, an adoptive parent who volunteers with an organization called Adoption Option, which encourages young women to consider adoption if they find themselves pregnant and unprepared.

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NEWS DAY | New report: "America's young people stand last in line for jobs"

By Mary Turck, News Day

Young workers protest for jobs, Wisconsin, 2011. Published under Creative Commons license, some rights reserved by wisaflcio

"Forty years ago, a teenager leaving high school—with or without a diploma—could find a job in a local factory.

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Adoptive parent urges: If you're not ready to parent, consider adoption option

By Alleen Brown, TC Daily Planet

Sarah Hamlin and family (Photo courtesy of Sarah Hamlin)

Sarah Hamlin dreams of the day when it’s socially acceptable for unprepared mothers-to-be to put their children up for adoption.

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Advocates for needy are hopeful DFL Legislature will support 'poverty agenda'

By Cynthia Boyd, MinnPost

Sen. Tom Bakk congratulating newly-elected DFL state senate candidate Melisa Franzen on Tuesday night. (MinnPost photo by Bill Kelley)

Long before the election polls closed and the DFL walked away with the winning hand in the state’s House and Senate races Tuesday, advocates were making the case for more help for Minnesota’s poor.

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