The Council on Accreditation (COA) is proud to announce the publication of our 2021 Private Standards!

The new standards will affect private organizations seeking accreditation.

In response to feedback from accredited organizations, COA revised the standards update process in 2020 from ongoing/monthly updates to annual updates. The 2021 updates reflect that annual process and include changes that were made based on ongoing collection and analysis of feedback received from our organizations and volunteer reviewers, collaboration with diverse groups of subject matter experts, and a review of research and professional literature on identified trends and evolving practices.

The 2021 updates include:

• New Standards for Office-Based Opioid Treatment (MHSU)
• Updated Standards for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Programs (MHSU)
• Updated Standards for Child and Family Development and Support (CFD)
• Updated Standards for Family Preservation and Stabilization (FPS)
• Updated Standards for Treatment Foster Care (FKC)
• Updated Standards for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Additional updates and revisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

You can download the detailed changes for each of the updated sections in our 2021 Update document available here or in your MyCOA portal.

Note: The 2021 Edition will not impact organizations that are currently pursuing accreditation or re-accreditation and have already been assigned standards in the MyCOA portal.  If you are an in-process organization and have questions about the updates, please contact your Accreditation Coordinator.

Community-based organizations need to be innovative to identify models and approaches that can create sustainable change. By actively listening and recognizing their community’s needs, organizations can advance their missions more effectively through equitable solutions. 

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (COA)’s Commitments of High-Impact Nonprofit Organizations is a strategy framework that guides organizations in building key competencies that will position them to accomplish greater outcomes. BakerRipley in Houston, and Holy Family Institute in Pittsburgh are two organizations that have been able to authentically engage children and families to help them achieve their full potential.

Learn more about how these organizations leveraged the Commitments to further their missions by reading the case study or watching the video of their story.

BakerRipley Uses Appreciative Community Building to Understand Community Needs

BakerRipley has been committed to creating solutions with their neighbors for 113 years. Today, they serve more than half-a-million people across 60 locations in Houston. By connecting with their community members firsthand, BakerRipley has been able to better understand their strengths and aspirations in order to build upon what’s working. The organization uses a unique model called Appreciative Community Building (ACB).

After embedding ACB into the Gulfton community in Southwest Houston, BakerRipley moved forward with building a new community center in 2010. Boliver “Bo” M. Fraga, senior community engagement developer, explained, “Our approach in working with the Gulfton community was not that we need to help these people with needs and gaps, it was we want to partner with this great community that has so much potential.”

By co-creating with their communities, BakerRipley can better approach the inequities the people of Houston are facing.

“When we invest in people, no matter where they are in their journey, that’s an investment in the community,” said Claudia Aguirre, president and CEO. earn more by viewing this video case study about BakerRipley’s commitment to Co-Creating with Community. 

Learn more by viewing this video case study about BakerRipley’s commitment to Co-Creating with Community.

Holy Family Institute Advances Equity through Nazareth Prep

Through its variety of services, Holy Family Institute (HFI) positively impacts the lives of over 35,000 children and families a year. The heart of its mission is education and community building. When HFI recognized that access to high-quality education was not available to all students in Pittsburgh, it worked toward an equitable solution. In 2014, HFI opened Nazareth Prep, an affordable and innovative Catholic School based on the belief that every student, regardless of race, religion, or economic status, should be able to reach their full potential through high-quality education.

This includes offering multiple pathways for students after graduation, understanding that not all students fit into one mold. Nazareth Prep’s career preparedness internship program allows students to be exposed to a variety of career opportunities after graduation.

“We are really focused on allowing students to pursue a pathway that makes sense for their interests,” said Michael Sexauer, executive vice president and COO of HFI. “We strive to provide a rigorous education that will allow them to pursue any path after graduation.”

At Nazareth Prep, students are given the building blocks to realize their potential and contribute to a stronger community.

Learn more by reading this case study about Holy Family Institute’s commitment to Advancing Equity. 

About the Commitments in Action Celebration

In celebration of the release of the Commitments framework more than five years ago, the Alliance and COA are showcasing 14 community-based human serving organizations, including BakerRipley and Holy Family Institute, that have embraced this proven strategy playbook for success and influence. The Commitments celebration recognizes and elevates the powerful stories of the organizations whose ingenuity, innovation, and vision, as part of the Alliance’s Strategy Counts initiative, helped establish the Commitments framework. 

Thank you to the Commitment in Action Celebration sponsors.

Community-based organizations are a critical contributor to the human services ecosystem, which also includes public entities, philanthropic organizations, academic organizations, and the business community. By working together, organizations can establish a web of services that maximizes their strengths and addresses the complexity of challenges people face.

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (COA)’s Commitments of High-Impact Nonprofit Organizations is a strategy framework that guides organizations in building key competencies that will help them to partner from a position of strength to realize even greater outcomes. The Village Network in Wooster, Ohio, and Beech Brook in Cleveland, Ohio are two organizations that have been able to multiply their impact by collaborating with other organizations.

Learn more about how these organizations leveraged the Commitments to further their missions by reading the case study or watching the video of their stories.

The Village Network and Knox County Build Brighter Futures for Ohio Youth

The Village Network seized an opportunity through the Knox County Department of Job and Family Services, which was looking for an organization to run a group home. In committing to a 20-year lease to utilize the new facility that Knox County would create, The Village Network gave the county the financial security they wanted while gaining the opportunity to implement the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). The new model had a profoundly positive effect, resulting in a 97% reduction in use of physical restraints.

“Our partnership with The Village Network has worked out better than we ever could have imagined,” said Matthew Kurtz, director of the Knox County Department of Job and Family Services. “The way that they continue to be so progressive in the way they approach children and care of children, and the way they continue to learn and grow and be innovative, has really taken us to the next level in terms of treatment we’re able to provide to the residents of Knox County. We couldn’t have ever done that on our own.”

In realizing their organizational potential through innovation, this work has opened additional doors including with foundation and corporate partners. In addition, Dr. Bruce Perry, NMT pioneer, has deemed The Village Network a flagship organization.

Learn more by reading this case study about The Village Network’s commitment to Partnering with Purpose.

Beech Brook’s Innovative Police-Assisted Referral Program

According to the Commitments framework, organizations should look to collaborate across systems and sectors. If aligned with the same vision, academic, corporate, and public sector partners can bring helpful expertise and help increase impact.

Beech Brook found success in an effort that did just that. It worked to establish the award-winning Police-Assisted Referral (PAR) Program, which brought together a diverse group of invested constituents including social services, law enforcement, community leaders and academia to reimagine law enforcement’s role in promoting safe and healthy communities.  Through the program, officers are equipped with referral cards. Within 24-48 hours, the recipient is contacted by a human services organization like Beech Brook that is part of the PAR program.

“The fact that we’ve been able to maintain and sustain our commitment to PAR for over a decade is miraculous,” said Tom Royer, president and CEO of Beech Brook. “It’s really a testament to the partnerships we’ve built. We’ve faced countless challenges, but nobody’s walked away from the table. Everybody has remained committed to the program and to delivering this service regardless of what barriers get in our way.”

Results of the program include that 93% of individuals who are given a PAR referral card by a police officer found the officer to be respectful and helpful, while 91% found the referral card itself helpful. Additionally, 43% of program participants have reported having an improved opinion of law enforcement following their PAR experience.

Learn more by reading this case study about Beech Brook’s commitment to Partnering with Purpose. 

About the Commitments in Action Celebration

In celebration of the release of the Commitments framework more than five years ago, the Alliance and COA are showcasing 14 community-based human serving organizations, including The Village Network and Beech Brook, that have embraced this proven strategy playbook for success and influence. The Commitments celebration recognizes and elevates the powerful stories of the organizations whose ingenuity, innovation, and vision, as part of the Alliance’s Strategy Counts initiative, helped establish the Commitments framework. 

Thank you to the Commitment in Action Celebration sponsors.

All decisions affect our futures in some way. But how can you make sound decisions in a field where the only thing constant is change? That’s the situation many community-based organizations must stay on top of in order to ensure critical success outcomes that are transforming the child welfare system to a child and family well-being system. 

One of the tactics that informs effective service transformation is trend analysis, which can be a powerful tool in strategic planning by creating credible illustrations of what the future might look like. Based on that, child welfare leaders and their cross-sector partners can align community priorities and resources to reform child welfare by sustaining a shared family and community responsibility to keep children safe, as analyzed in the 2021 Trend Brief. 

Designing Useful Trend Inquiry

Before searching for the best trends data that can inform activities like strategic planning, risk assessment, and opportunity mapping, it’s helpful to first understand the origin of trends information that can be useful to child welfare organizations. The typical methodology is based on two types of research: primary and secondary. 

Primary research is first-hand research using methods like interviews with consumers and participants, employees, community leaders and advocates, academic subject matter experts, regulators, policymakers, funders, and other stakeholders in the child welfare ecosystem.

Secondary research uses available data and information found in reports and databases from diverse industries, which can be used as sources for trend determination. Examples can include demographics and other census tract information, local asset mapping, state and federal child welfare data (e.g., Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System [AFCARS]), and more.

Although there are many complexities to thorough trend investigation, the essential process is about asking the right questions about the right things. These can roughly be divided into three areas, with examples of questions below:

• Identification of trends: What are the trends we should follow? Are there any associated systems and disciplines we need to understand better before determining trend relevance? 
• Analysis of the effects and possible projections: In which directions can a trend lead? What impact can a trend have on our strengths and weaknesses? Can we expect more or less support from partners and collaborators?
• Analysis of the implications: What do these trends mean for our community? How will family well-being and child safety change as a result? Do we have adequate organizational resilience in relation to this trend?

Understanding the Field with the 2021 Trend Brief: Primary Research

Both an art and a science, the ability to synthesize primary and secondary research requires a lot of knowledge, experience, analytical objectivity, and creative thinking. An example of primary research is from Tom Woll of the Strategic Change Initiative and Bill Martone of WPM Consulting, who jointly develop an annual trends brief for child welfare leaders. Pulling from their pool of experts, consulting collaborators, and advisors, Woll and Martone typically interview around 300 people each year through a Delphi-like method resulting in an end-of-year brief that can be used for the subsequent year’s strategic planning. In early 2020, the partners began their usual trends identification cycle. Then a global pandemic hit. 

Download the 2021 Trend Brief to spark your strategic planning.

“Our approach for developing the 2021 Trends Brief was different,” says Woll. “Bill and I weren’t traveling, though we were still consulting via phone and Zoom. We knew that 2020 would be a game-changing year, so we changed the focus of our efforts. Each of us turned to about 20 of the leaders who had been expertly advising us through the years and asked them to help us deconstruct the events of 2020.” 

Woll and Martone note that the major differences between ongoing annuals trends and 2020 events were very strong pivots toward:

• Incorporating equity, diversity, and inclusion at individual, organizational, and sector levels
• Responding to the implementation challenges of the Family First Prevention Services Act
• Installing trauma-informed principles and practices throughout all levels of an organization
• Redesigning the ways to train, support, and ensure the safety of child welfare and social services staff during the ongoing pandemic response and recovery
• Exploring the limits and possibilities of remote service delivery 

“Our field is rapidly becoming much more family-focused and much more community-focused,” Woll explains. “The emphasis on creating a change-ready workforce is and has been very strong. We must be able to change our organizational cultures to allow us to keep up with the rapid pace of change. The need for everyone to expand their funding sources and their service offerings is also very strong. And we are all being called upon to develop proactive mission-driven business models that our staff can understand and agree to join with us to become our full partners in the development of effective, collaborative responses to emerging community needs, especially family needs that are growing due to the impact of the pandemic.”

Woll and Martone also emphasize the movement away from traditional patterns of leadership and toward the adoption of change leadership methodologies, part of which includes established analysis and forecasting cycles of emerging trends in the field. Both consultants are fostering the associated skills and capacities which they recommend that organizations become competent in within three years. 

Child Welfare Ecosystem: Secondary Research

In addition to considering megatrends (i.e., a major movement, pattern or trend emerging in the macroenvironment), it’s recommended that child welfare leaders regularly consult data from these aggregated sources for context on their local trends, as well as to understand how other communities in the U.S. are faring with common indicators. Examples include:

• 2020 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The 31st edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children across the United States were faring before the coronavirus pandemic began.
• The State of America’s Children® 2020. This Children’s Defense Fund report provides stories, statistics, and data in clear terms. 
• America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2020. The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics fosters collaboration among 23 federal agencies and reports on well-being measures drawn from the most reliable statistics.
• Child Welfare Outcomes. Children’s Bureau research on child welfare issues includes a series of annual Child Welfare Outcomes reports to Congress. These reports include data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).

Getting the Most Out of Trends and Scenario Development

Since no one can tell the future with 100% certainty all the time, developing robust scenarios can help bridge present circumstances with future requirements. The range and value of organizational opportunities based on trend analysis depend on scenarios that should include most of these criteria:

• Plausible: Logical, consistent and believable
• Relevant: Highlighting key challenges and dynamics of the future
• Divergent: Different from each other in strategically significant ways
• Challenging: Questioning fundamental beliefs and assumptions

By evaluating relevant trends compiled through primary and secondary research and using the analysis to explore governance and operational scenarios, the ability to create achievable pathways to a transformative child and family well-being system is strengthened. 

Download the 2021 Trend Brief now.

High quality education is a critical building block that enables all children to achieve their full potential, but many face barriers that can hinder their ability to focus and learn. Because of their expertise in mental health, building resilience, and more, human services community-based organizations are uniquely positioned to support students in the classroom.

Through comprehensive strategic planning and cross-sector partnerships, high-impact organizations can position themselves to deliver something greater than the individual services they provide and the singular interactions they have with children and families. 

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (COA)’s Commitments of High-Impact Nonprofit Organizations is a strategy framework that guides organizations in building key competencies that will help them to focus on their core competencies, build expertise, and partner to address the complexity of barriers faced by families and communities. Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services in Pasadena, California, and Starr Commonwealth in Albion, Michigan, are two organizations that have been able to partner to support educational success.

Learn more about how these organizations leveraged the Commitments to further their missions by reading the case study or watching the video of their story.

Hathaway Sycamores Incorporates School-Based Mental Health Services to Better Execute on Mission

According to the Commitments framework, organizations and their communities are best served when they focus on key strengths to deliver on a clear mission rather than diluting resources across disparate programs. The organizations that focus on Executing on Mission are those whose impact is truly felt and lasting.

With a 120-year legacy, Hathaway-Sycamores has extensive experience in mental health, and realized it could reach more children in a less-stigmatized setting by offering these services in schools. In 1997, the organization launched its first school-based mental health program, and it now impacts more than 1,100 students on more than 40 school campuses each year. In addition, it is now reaching younger children through Early Head Start and Health Start, special education students by creating therapeutic classrooms, and juvenile offenders through a grant to break the school to prison pipeline.

“Schools already have a vested interest in the well-being of their students,” said Shefali D’Sa, assistant vice president of school-based services and early education for Hathaway-Sycamores. “We already had the same purpose, so it didn’t make sense for there to be two separate systems. By coming together to support students with both their mental health and their academic success, we’re able to have a much larger impact.” 

Learn more by reading this case study about Hathaway-Sycamores’ commitment to Executing on Mission.

Starr Commonwealth Partners with Schools to Train Teachers on Building Students Resilience

While it’s critical for human services community-based organizations to focus on their core competencies, partnerships within and across sectors can be used to account for the complexity of challenges and the everyday realities of families’ lives. Because teachers interact with families on such a frequent basis, it makes sense to equip them with the tools to address students’ social and emotional well-being.

With more than a century of experience, Starr Commonwealth maximizes its expertise in behavioral health by training teachers and other child caring professionals in school settings to support students who have experienced trauma and help them build resilience.

“What we try to do is improve school culture, certainly through the training and coaching of educators and professionals in the school building but also through the development of curriculum and online education,” Caelan Soma, chief clinical officer at Starr Commonwealth. 

In partnering with districts, Starr Commonwealth looks to evaluate the schools’ individual supports and resources so that they can complement them with their expertise in behavioral health.

Learn more by watching this case study about Starr Commonwealth’s commitment to Partnering with Purpose. 

For a look at how Starr Commonwealth used its expertise in trauma-informed care and racial healing to support the merging of two racially different high schools, watch this video case study.

About the Commitments in Action Celebration

In celebration of the release of the Commitments framework more than five years ago, the Alliance and COA are showcasing 14 community-based human serving organizations, including Hathaway-Sycamores and Starr Commonwealth, that have embraced this proven strategy playbook for success and influence. The Commitments celebration recognizes and elevates the powerful stories of the organizations whose ingenuity, innovation, and vision, as part of the Alliance’s Strategy Counts initiative, helped establish the Commitments framework. 

Thank you to the Commitment in Action Celebration sponsors.

2020 presented a host of unforeseen challenges that required human services organizations to be agile and pivot to continue serving their communities. COVID-19 meant needing to rapidly put safety measures into place including accommodations for remote work, social distancing, and quarantining. In addition, increasing calls for equity, diversity, and inclusion within our workplaces, systems, and communities lead organizations to reaffirm their work to advance in their equity journeys.

While much of 2020 felt unprecedented, the need for human services organizations to continuously adapt in a rapidly shifting world is nothing new. Emerging technology and analytics, health care reform, advances in brain science, a pursuit for greater social justice, and a divisive political climate have already necessitated organizations to employ adaptive leadership strategies, engage staff, and innovate in new ways.

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (COA)’s Commitments of High-Impact Nonprofit Organizations is a strategy framework that guides organizations in building key competencies that will help them to be nimble and proactive so they can capitalize on emerging disruptive forces rather than being paralyzed by them. Villa of Hope in Rochester, New York, and Great Circle in St. Louis are two organizations that have been able to adapt amid uncertainty and change.

Learn more about how these organizations leveraged the Commitments to further their missions by reading the case study or watching the video of their stories.

Villa of Hope Quickly Adapt to Keep Employees Safe During COVID-19

When COVID-19 cases began climbing in the U.S. in March 2020 and states started issuing stay at home orders, many businesses and nonprofits across industries were caught flat footed, rapidly trying to support remote work where possible and continue providing essential services. Needing to pivot on short notice put organizations’ leadership to the test. Leading with Vision, one of the Commitments, urges organization to engage all staff in finding solutions to complex and nebulous challenges.

At Villa of Hope, leaders quickly mobilized around COVID-19 precautions to keep employees safe. One of its critical strategies was to ensure that all staff had the information they needed—from executives to those providing direct services. 

“I sometimes think leaders don’t give people enough credit for being able to handle information, but I think knowledge and information is power,” said Christina Gullo, president and CEO of Villa of Hope, in this video case study.

Being able to quickly develop and implement a plan that included a transition to remote work, personal protective equipment, and other safety measures for their essential workers in a matter of hours is a credit to consistent practice and trust in leadership. It also was made easier by the organization’s transformation from residential care to community-based and specialized residential services.

Great Circle Invests in Capacity with Robust Process Improvement Program

Leading with Vision is not only the job of an organization’s executives. It means empowering leaders at all levels through communication and collaboration. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible with key investments in their development. 

Another one of the Commitments is Investing in Capacity, which Great Circle practiced as it sought a new means for making an investment in its ability to sustain change throughout the organization. They partnered with The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare to implement an organization-wide initiative called Robust Process Improvement.

“We’ve always been good at implementing solutions and doing it quickly as well,” said Jenna St. Cyr., chief quality officer at Great Circle, in this case study. “But, because we often deal with crisis, we can find ourselves easily diverted. And that’s often led to being reactionary about the work in front of us instead of focusing on maintaining or sustaining long-term solutions.”

The crux of the extensive four-year initiative included change management techniques and embedding the principles of Lean Six Sigma, which included training staff to become Green Belts and Black Belts. Throughout this process, staff have been meaningfully engaged every step of the way, reinforcing a culture where all employees are viewed as agents of change. Great Circle is seeing many positive results from this capacity investment. Key progress is being made on their internal scorecard and a class of Green Belt trainees is working to advance the organization’s equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. Rather than applying a top-down approach, this will help to embed values throughout the organization’ culture and processes.

Learn more by reading this case study about Great Circle’s commitment to Investing in Capacity. 

About the Commitments in Action Celebration

In celebration of the release of the Commitments framework more than five years ago, the Alliance and COA are showcasing 14 community-based human serving organizations, including Villa of Hope and Great Circle, that have embraced this proven strategy playbook for success and influence. The Commitments celebration recognizes and elevates the powerful stories of the organizations whose ingenuity, innovation, and vision, as part of the Alliance’s Strategy Counts initiative, helped establish the Commitments framework. 

Thank you to the Commitment in Action Celebration sponsors.

by Amy Templeman, director of the Alliance’s Within Our Reach Office

An essential resource for professionals in the child welfare field are the voices of those with lived experience who are willing to share their stories. Matthew Peiffer in Indiana is one of those heroes. Matthew’s resilience in the face of tremendous adversity has given him the passion and drive to speak out for system reforms even after facing some of the most challenging life circumstances. 

Matthew Peiffer and his two sisters were adopted at a young age. Their adoptive parents abused them physically and sexually for almost thirteen years. When they were finally removed from their adoptive parents, they were placed into separate foster care homes and institutions. Matthew, who is now 23 years old, aged out of the foster care system. His younger sister Emily did not make it out. She died by suicide at age 18.

The experiences of Matthew and his sisters are horrific and tragic and are shared by too many children in the child welfare system. In its groundbreaking report released in 2016, the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities noted that, on average, between 1,500 and 3,000 U.S. children die from maltreatment every year. These numbers have remained constant for years because for too long, our systems have been geared to addressing child abuse and neglect only after harm has occurred.

A new and innovative demonstration initiative is aiming to change that. Child Safety Forward, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, includes five sites across the nation who are utilizing comprehensive and evidence-based strategies to identify those children most at risk and develop targeted steps to strengthen supports and address those risk factors.

A key element to the strategy is the integration of the voices and experiences of youth and families involved with child welfare. 

As Jerry Milner, associate commissioner of the Children’s Bureau recently noted: “Young adults with lived experience are the experts in the child welfare system. Any meaningful change in the child welfare system must happen with youth and young adults as our partners.”

Matthew is one of the young adults helping provide that important perspective. He serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), one of the five sites for the Child Safety Forward initiative. His experiences and perspective have been a valuable tool in the development of IDOH’s implementation plan to reduce child abuse and maltreatment.

For example, Matthew shared details of attempts that he and his sisters made to reach authorities to let them know of the abuse they were experiencing. As young children they were often locked in their rooms for hours and deprived of food. They were home schooled and rarely encountered other adults. Matthew would sometimes call 911 and hang up. He also managed to get out and vandalize his adopted parents’ car with the hope that the police would notice their plight and take them away. In both cases, law enforcement would show up but wouldn’t enter the house and would only talk to the children with the parents present, so there was no chance for the children to seek help.

In response, Matthew is providing training seminars for law enforcement today on what to look for when visiting a home where abuse might be suspected.
 
Matthew has also spoken out about the need for better data to address children at risk, a strategy which is receiving emphasis in Indiana’s plans for Child Safety Forward. As IDOH notes in its draft implementation plan, “The lack of standardization in investigation practices, including incomplete investigations, limits our understanding of the causes and circumstances related to child maltreatment related fatalities, Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs), and youth suicide. It also leads to incomplete and inconsistent data. Quality and accurate data allow us to better understand and address risk factors.”

IDOH’s efforts to collect and analyze data, bring in the voices of those like Matthew with lived experience, and work collaboratively across the community to develop new models for addressing child fatalities and serious injuries from maltreatment will provide what has been sorely lacking in previous attempts – the identification and evaluation of evidence-based practices. 

Coupled with the federal government’s focus on preventing foster care and requirement of statewide fatality prevention plans in the Family First Prevention Services Act, these actions will add up to a new knowledge base on best practices and what works to reduce tragedies like those experienced by Matthew and his sisters.

Amy Templeman is director of the Within Our Reach office at the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. Within Our Reach is supported by Casey Family Programs. A version of this article appeared on February 3, 2021 in Youth Today.

Disclaimer: This product was supported by cooperative agreement number 2019-V3-GX-K005, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

On Jan. 14, President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris unveiled their American Rescue Plan. This proposal has a price tag of $1.9 trillion and aims to build off of some of the investments in the end-of-the year package that became law in late December. This initial proposal did not include legislative language, so some details still aren’t clear. Ultimately, it will be up to the new Congress to review and pass legislation. They will likely put their own stamp on it, with some changes and additions of other programs and funding. The biggest obstacle to passage will be the United States Senate, which has a 50-50 split, with a tie-breaking vote by VP-Elect Harris. Senate Democrats are considering a process, called budget reconciliation, that would allow them to pass such a bill with a simple majority. We anticipate the process of passing this bill will take several weeks or months, with no guarantees.

Some of the key provisions impacting our network include:

• A $350 billion investment in state, local, and territorial governments to help them keep services afloat;
• Provides an additional $40 billion, on top of the $10 billion provided in the end of the year package, to total $50 billion in child care relief funding;

There are many other provisions to review in the below summary. The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Council on Accreditation will continue to fight for additional relief funds for state and local government, loans, and grants for nonprofits of all sizes (including those with more than 500 employees), an increase in the FMAP Medicaid match, and other key priorities in as this process unfolds in early 2021.

State/Local Aid

• $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, and territorial governments to ensure that they can keep front line public workers on the job and paid, while also effectively distributing the vaccine, scaling testing, reopening schools, and maintaining other vital services.

Financial Relief for Nonprofits

• Grants to hardest hit small businesses (not clear if nonprofits are included in this program, didn’t include details) 
  • Provides grants to more than one million of hardest hit small businesses. $15 billion in flexible, equitably distributed grants.
• Low-Interest Loans – $35 billion for state, local, tribal, and nonprofit small business financing programs to help generate $175 billion in low interest loans and venture capital to help entrepreneurs create and maintain jobs, build wealth, and provide essential goods and services. (did not say if nonprofits are eligible for these loans)

Hazard Pay

• No funding for hazard pay. Instead, the proposal calls on employers to take actions to provide frontline essential workers with back hazard pay.

Minimum Wage

• Raises the minimum wage to $15 per hour and ends the tipped minimum wage and the sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities.

Paid Leave

• Requires employers, regardless of size, to offer paid sick leave during the pandemic to workers.
• Parents and family members caring for sick relatives or out-of-school children could receive more than 14 weeks of paid sick and family leave. 
• Plan would provide as much as $1,400 per week in tax credits to employers with fewer than 500 employees to reimburse them for the cost of paid leave. Tax credits will reimburse employers under 500 employees for 100 percent of the cost of the leave.
• Eliminates exemptions for employers with over 500 and less than 50 employees, so that they must offer leave. 
• Provisions extended until September 30, 2021.

Child Tax Credit

• Expands child tax credits for low- and middle-income families and makes them refundable for 2021. Would expand the child tax credit to $3,000, from $2,000, for each child 17 and younger. Children under age six would be eligible for $3,600.

Child Care

• $25 billion emergency stabilization fund to help hard-hit child care providers, including family child care homes, to cover costs and operate safely.
• $15 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program.
• Families will get back as a tax credit as much as half of their spending on child care for children under age 13, so that they can receive a total of up to $4,000 for one child or $8,000 for two or more children. The tax credit will be refundable, meaning that families who don’t owe a lot in taxes will still benefit. The full 50 percent reimbursement will be available to families making less than $125,000 a year.

Earned Income TaxCredit (EITC)

• Raises the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for childless adults from roughly $530 to close to $1,500, raises the income limit for the credit from about $16,000 to about $21,000, and expands the age range that is eligible, including by eliminating the age cap for older workers so that older workers can claim the credit.

School Funding 

• Education Stabilization – $130 billion
  • Provide resources to support schools safely reopening. Funds can be used for reduced class size, modifying spaces for social distancing, improved ventilation, hiring more janitors, PPE for staff, ensuring schools have accesses to a nurse, etc. 
  • Districts must ensure that funds are also used to meet students’ academic, mental health, and social and emotional needs in responses to COVID-19. Examples include extended learning time, tutoring, and counselors. 
  • Funding can be used to prevent cuts to state pre-k programs. 
  • A portion of funding can be used for a COVID-19 Educational Equity Challenge Grant, which will support state, local, and tribal governments in partnering with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders to advance equity – and evidence-based policies to respond to COVID-related educational challenges, give all students the support they need.

Nutrition Assistance

• Extends the 15 percent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit increase through September 2021. Temporarily cuts the state match.
• Invests $3 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Direct Payments (Stimulus Checks) 

• Gives families a $1,400 per-person check, in addition to the $600 stimulus checks provided to families in December, for a total of $2,000.

Unemployment Insurance

• Extends and expands unemployment insurance benefits, including a $400 per-week unemployment insurance supplement. Proposes extending emergency unemployment insurance programs through September 2021, allowing workers not traditionally included in the unemployment insurance program to participate.

Rental and Housing Assistance 

• Extends the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums and continues applications for forbearance on federally-guaranteed mortgages until Sept. 30, 2021.
• $30 billion in rental and critical energy and water assistance, including $5 billion to cover home energy and water costs and arrears through programs like the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. 
• $5 billion in emergency assistance to help secure housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

• $1 billion for states to cover additional cash assistance that Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients needed as a result of the pandemic crisis.

Behavioral Health

• $4 billion to enable the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Healthcare Coverage

• President-elect Biden is calling on Congress to subsidize continuation health coverage (COBRA) through the end of September 2021. He is also asking Congress to expand and increase the value of the Premium Tax Credit so that families don’t pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for coverage.

Community Health Worker Workforce

• Funding for 100,000 public health workers, nearly tripling the country’s community health worker workforce. These individuals will be hired to work in their local communities to perform vital tasks like vaccine outreach and contact tracing in the near term, and to transition into community health roles to build our long-term public health capacity that will help improve quality of care and reduce hospitalization for low-income and underserved communities. 

A big thank you to Jody, our President & CEO, for this blog post.

After a successful due diligence process and Board and Member vote to merge, on January 1, 2021, the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities (Alliance) and the Council on Accreditation (COA) began its work to integrate operations and build a new organization. As the inaugural leader of the new organization, I know that there is a lot to consider and to do.

Our new organization is intended to be something distinctive, something different. While it will blend the assets of both the Alliance and COA, our intent is not to simply be “Alliance + COA.” Our intent is to spark a current in the social sector—to create a dynamic, inclusive, multifaceted network that leverages the collective experience of the field, research, and each of the legacy organizations. As a new organization, we believe we can activate the power of the social sector and offer novel tools and resources to solve the social problems that plague communities and our nation.

As I said in my prior blog post on leading change, “Change is a collaborative process. Incumbent upon the authorized or designated leader of change is to inspire those around them and to make space for change to occur.”  Our first 30 days of operating together has repeatedly shown me the accuracy of those words. To create this new organization, we will need to engage all our staff, their various skills and talents, and our entire network and their insights and perspectives. We will also need patience.

What we are experiencing as we undertake this merger is really what leaders experience every day. We are operating on parallel paths, engaging in a concurrent process of operating, learning, and creating. Over the past month, as I have dug deeper into learning mode, I have once again been reminded that amid change there are more questions than answers. That is uncomfortable space for me, and I think it probably is for many of us.

As much as we all like to think of ourselves as being able to live in the gray, to tolerate ambiguity, it doesn’t come easily. It would be easier to start throwing out fixes and solutions that would cross things off the list and put people at ease by providing clarity–even if they didn’t like the answers. I go back to my clinical days though and think about all that I learned from families. Initially, it seemed far easier to try to solve the challenges families faced by throwing services at them after making assumptions instead of really learning about their needs – from their perspective. What I learned was that to do it right (or at least better), it took time and it took the building of a relationship. And in the context of that relationship over time, a true (and more accurate) sense of the right solutions emerged. These were informed by multiple perspectives and multiple sources of information, co-created. That is who we aspire to be as we move forward–unifying and purposeful; an organization that creates intrepid opportunities to disrupt the status quo and leads to more just and equitable outcomes.

As I reflect on our first thirty days of operating together, instead of being unnerved by the growing list of questions, I am learning to be energized. I am also learning to be comforted by the fact that we have a vast network of staff and of supporters that will chime in to create the answers. With patience, and the reliance on the voices of many, our new organization will have an impact. I look forward to engaging with everyone to craft our new answers and way forward.