Kids Forward

📚 Book of the Month Alert! This month, our staff pick is Beautiful Trouble by Andrew Boyd, selected by our Senior Policy Analyst, Daithi Wolfe. 🎉 Packed with creative strategies for activism, this inspiring book is a must-read for anyone passionate about making meaningful change. 💡✨ Have you read it? Share your thoughts in the comments! 👇

On Wednesday we met with Governor Evers' team, Senator LaTonya Johnson, Senator Kelda Roys, and Representative Neubauers' team to share what we've been hearing from community partners across the state over the past 2 years. Bottom line: Structural racism is holding us all back, including white families. But Wisconsinites know what they need for healthier and stronger families and communities. We are honored to carry this wisdom straight to the capital and help shape a budget that reflects the needs of our children and families across the state.

✨ 2024 Wrapped: A Year to Remember with Kids Forward! ✨ From advocating for equity to celebrating community milestones, 2024 was a year of progress, passion, and powerful moments. Together, we: 💬 Amplified voices for change 📢 Fought for policies that make a difference ❤️ Built connections that inspire hope This video is a look back at the memories that defined our year and the incredible work we achieved together. Here’s to continuing the journey in 2025 and beyond!

Far too many of us can relate to Colleen's story. Colleen grew up in a middle-class family with good benefits. So it wasn't until adulthood that she was truly exposed to the failings of our healthcare system. After leaving her long-term job in 2018 to start a consulting career, her husband was laid off, and it forced her to abandon her dreams for launching a small business. "It was a scary time, and I ended up taking a new job with an employer who offered health insurance instead of fully launching the small business I had been dreaming of." Colleen’s awareness of our failing healthcare system deepened over the years through personal experiences: her brother's tragic death from addiction after a lapse in care, her father-in-law’s difficulties with a private "Medicare" Advantage plan, and her husband’s Stage 4 cancer diagnosis compounded by the financial strain of COBRA insurance. "I feel certain that it does not have to be this way. I want my family to have access to health care so we don’t lose any more loved ones unnecessarily, and I want that for you too." Please take the time to read Colleen's full story here: https://ow.ly/uehI50UykKf "I hope you will join me in supporting Kids Forward, and for fighting for access to safe affordable health care for your family – and for all Wisconsin children and families. We deserve it. We can afford it. We can and should have a voice in decisions." How can you stand with Colleen? 1️⃣A monthly gift of any amount helps ensure the long-term funds we need to keep fighting for structural change in Wisconsin: https://ow.ly/apvy50UykK7 2️⃣Or make a one-time donation here: https://ow.ly/V2Pb50UykKh 3️⃣Join nINA Collective’s Community of Practice: A space where interested individuals and/or organizations can come together to learn, collaborate, and support each other in their efforts to create a more just and equitable world: https://ow.ly/Uh1a50UykKc

Jacquie Boggess grew up in Freeport, IL. Her grandmother moved from Hickory, MS during the U.S. Great Migration of Black people from the Southern fields to Northern cities seeking jobs and justice. Jacquie’s father worked his entire life in a tire factory in Freeport, and he'd send her $25/week while she was away at school, his hard work supporting Jacquie while getting her undergraduate degree. Jacquie's early life experiences, including as a lawyer and then working in public policy, showed her just how powerful public policy can be in impacting people's day to day lives. “We have to get rid of the false understanding that structural racism is only impacting black and brown people....Built-in inequities also impact people who can identify as white." Throughout her career, including her time served on the Kids Forward Board, Jacquie has stood up and fought against the structural inequities that are holding everyone back in Wisconsin. "...I don’t believe we can ignore the ravages of race, racism, Jim Crow, and the enslavement and dehumanization of human beings. This is the foundation of structural racism and inequity. An antiracist policy center identifies the seemingly immovable boulder of structural racism that is standing in the path of “justice for all.” Read Jacquie's full story here: https://ow.ly/5br150UxzhN Jacquie's championed the fight against structural inequities. We're so thankful for her service to Kids Forward. 💛 How can you stand with Jacquie today? 1️⃣Join Kids Forward’s Partners in Equity: Your monthly gift puts you in a special group of Kids Forward supporters that's committed to the long-term investments needed to support those furthest from opportunity: https://ow.ly/bqck50UxzhP (or make a 1-time donation here: https://ow.ly/CJli50UxzhO) 2️⃣Join nINA Collective’s Community of Practice: A space where interested individuals and/or organizations can come together to learn, collaborate, and support each other in their efforts to create a more just and equitable world: https://lnkd.in/gnnFpvkd

🎄✨ Happy Holidays from the Kids Forward Team! ✨🎄 As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank YOU—our supporters, partners, and community members—for standing with us in creating a more equitable Wisconsin for all children and families. This holiday season, we reflect on the progress we’ve made together and look forward to continuing this important work in the year ahead. May your holidays be filled with joy, peace, and time spent with loved ones. From all of us at Kids Forward, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a bright New Year! 🌟

Accessible, affordable, high-quality childcare is a win-win for children, families, and employers alike. But a shortage of affordable child care is keeping many parents at home to care for their children, contributing to a worker shortage in our state. To help address this, the Parent/Caregiver Equity Advisory Cabinet (PCEAC) was created. The Cabinet advises state leaders to ensure that the state’s early childhood programs, policies, and services reflect the needs of families with children ages 0-8 and their caregivers. At Kids Forward, we’re proud to work alongside these incredible parents and caregivers who bring their lived experiences, passion, and commitment to the table. These inspiring voices are dedicated to driving change for Wisconsin’s children and families. 💬 Swipe through to learn more about the amazing individuals behind the PCEAC and how their advocacy is shaping equitable policies and brighter futures. Together, we’re creating a Wisconsin where every child and family can thrive. 🌟

Our hearts are with everyone impacted by today's shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. Every young person deserves the freedom to learn and be safe in school. There are actions our decisionmakers can take to address the mental health crisis, gun violence in all its forms, and the many root causes of violence in our schools. We're also grateful to Freedom Inc for cautioning against reactionary over-policing in schools, which has been shown to do more harm than good. We're holding our loved ones close tonight. 💔

Here at Kids Forward, we strive to center impacted voices at every table. Daithi shares what this looks like in his work. Via the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub and funded by the USDA, these grants will help create more resilient, equitable, and nutritious school food systems. 🌊🥕 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gYvawgay.

Alongside our friends at Multicultural Coalition, Inc, in October we hosted Breaking Barriers: Improving Language Access in Wisconsin. This partnership grew out of a need to address language barriers not only at the direct service level, but also at the systems and policy level. We are so grateful to everyone that participated, sharing your time with us, and being a part of thought provoking discussions. To see the room packed and specifically to hear the words of one attendee, “I feel hope for the first time since moving here in 2012,” is a powerful experience. That is the power of our collective voices as we all share in taking action to improve language access. For those that missed it, you'll find a recording of the event on our Facebook page (KidsForwardWI) and resources on our website: ✅Language access in Wisconsin: https://lnkd.in/gpCAsc9R ✅Language Cards in 11 Languages: https://lnkd.in/gfU9UXKW ✅Stand up for Racial Justice: A Starter Guide on Policy and Advocacy in Wisconsin: https://lnkd.in/gWhvWCPH