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Members of the press, for more information about Voices call us at 804-649-0184 or email us now.

We believe independent clinical assessments for children needing certain Medicaid mental health services are a step in the right direction. Read the op-ed that appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Saturday, October 15, co-authored by Voices’ Senior Policy Director, Margaret Nimmo Crowe and Mira Signer, Executive Director of NAMI Virginia.

Press release on child poverty in Virginia: New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that child poverty is on the rise. In Virginia, almost 40,000 more children are now growing up poor.

Art Reflects Lives in Foster Care in the Roanoke TImes 06.16.2011.

May 3, 2011 was Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, and to coincide with this, Voices released a new report, Children's Mental Health in Virginia: System Deficiencies and Unknown Outcomes. The release garnerd national media attention with stories running on radio stations across the state and in the Washington Examiner, The Daily Press, Associated Press, and The Staunton News Leader. Also, to bolster the release of this report, Campaign Coordinator Margaret Nimmo Crowe had an Op-Ed in The Pilot.

Affordable Care Act - Op-Ed by Voices' Policy Director, Mary Dunne Stewart, about the beneficial impact the ACA has had for children, appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch in March 2011.

Children Need Advocates in Congress - Op-Ed by Voices' Policy Director, Mary Dunne Stewart in the Virginian-Pilot. In partnership with First Focus, Voices is raising the profile of children's issues in Congress and elections.

Virginia child poverty rate continues to rise: for first time, number of VA kids in poverty exceeds quarter million – Read Voices' press release on the newly released 2009 Census figures that confirm earlier warnings of recession-induced rise in child poverty.  

Press Release - Reading proficiency by the end of third grade is a critical benchmark in a child’s educational development. Too many children in Virginia reach fourth grade without learning to read proficiently. On May 18th, 2010 the Annie E. Casey Foundation in partnership with Voices for Virginia’s Children released a KIDS COUNT Special Report, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters about why reading matters and what we can do to raise the bar and close the gap for all children. Listen to Virginia Public Radio's Tommie McNeil interview with John Morgan on the findings in the report.

Press Release - Voices for Virginia's Children and the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia report, A Portrait of Children in Northern VIrginia , examines the critical needs of children in Northern Virginia.The study finds that overall the region’s children have relatively positive well-being.  However, the study also highlights “pockets of poverty” in the region, where large numbers of children are exposed to multiple risk factors that threaten their development and functioning.  See the related appendix of tables and charts. (PDF, May 2010)

AP article - Voices organized supporters of Virginia’s preschool program for low-income pupils (VPI) at a press conference to urge legislators not to cut funding for a crucial investment in children’s educational and economic future.

Census Oped - Undercounting children in the 2010 Census could cost Virginia tens of millions of dollars and set back efforts to support programs that help our most vulnerable kids.

Voices launched the Campaign for Children's Mental Health on December 1, 2009 with a press conference at the Virginia State Capitol. For more information, visit the Campaign's new website (1in5kids.org).

Press Release: Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau during September show that the child poverty rate in Virginia increased from 13 to 13.8 per cent in 2008, resulting in an additional 13,000 Virginia children living below the poverty line.

Press Release - The 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book reports that out of ten measures of child well-being four measures showed improvement; two measures did not change; and four measures worsened. For more information, visit our KIDS COUNT page.

Press Release - Voices for Virginia's Children's report, Self-Portrait of Youth in Northern Virginia, shows that, overall, Northern Virginia youth exhibit a relative advantage in general well-being over their peers nationwide. Compared to youth nationally, youth in Northern Virginia  show somewhat lower rates of drug use, violence and other health risk behaviors. The report also cautions that each locale has large numbers of at-risk youth, and urges community leaders to identify sub-groups and neighborhoods with higher rates of health risk behaviors and to promote community initiatives to address these risks. (July 2009)