Nothern Virginia Initiative

The Northern Virginia office of Voices for Virginia's Children was established in 2006 to focus on the particular needs of children in Northern Virginia. The goal of the office is to raise the particular concerns of children in Northern Virginia to a statewide audience and to increase the total power of those advocating for children in the Commonwealth. We accomplish this by:

• Identifying key issues that particularly affect children in Northern Virginia and building awareness about those issues.
• Working with the Richmond advocacy staff to adequately represent the needs of children who live in Northern Virginia at the state level.

NEWS

A July 2009 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.

SUCCESSES

During 2009, Voices' overall successes had an impact on a number of children in Northern Virginia.

• Voices persuaded legislators to preserve these recent advances in child and family issues in spite of large budget cuts:

  Child Care Subsidies: A 2008 $12M increase in child care subsidies for low-income working parents that enabled 800 additional children in NoVA to receive child care. 

  Foster Care: 2008 reforms to the foster care system that give 800 children in foster care in NoVA a better chance to establish permanent family ties and transition to productive adulthood.

  Virginia Preschool Initiative: A 2008 investment of $23M so that an additional 2,000 low-income four year olds in NoVA have access to quality preschool.

• Voices led a statewide coalition to inform legislators about the negative impact of closing state-run child psychiatric inpatient facilities before appropriate community-based options were in place. In response, funding for the facilities was restored.
• Voices' staff visited members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation to provide information about SCHIP Reauthorization and the Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

WHAT'S COMING UP?

Voices is collaborating with the Community Foundation of' Northern Virginia to paint a statistical “portrait” of children who live in Northern Virginia communities. The report will give information about where there is need in our region and will help target philanthroy to where it is needed most. The report will be available in Spring 2010.

To learn more about the Northern Virginia Initiative, please contact:

Kathy May
Director of Voices' Northern Virginia Office
703-277-7748