Diaper banks aim to eliminate a surprising barrier to child care

The Kids with a Vision Foundation (K-WAVF) provides care and shelter, particularly to vulnerable youth displaced by conflicts. K-WAVF’s team of community representatives also partners with local schools to take youth on educational field trips and provide vocational training. Since its inception in 2013, K-WAVF has extended its reach across five local government areas in the state.

Adventure Bags distributes backpacks to children entering foster care, domestic violence shelters and homeless shelters, many of whom are often displaced with nothing. The backpacks are filled with hygiene products, books, stuffed animals and other care items. Since 2011, the group has given backpacks to over 45,000 children.

Youth Villages, a nonprofit started in Tennessee over 30 years ago has helped improve the lives of children who face difficulties in their homes while saving money on the child welfare system. Instead of immediately removing children from their problematic homes, Youth Villages works on building relationships with the parents and providing in-home support services to both the parents and the children to ensure that they have a successful future. Additionally, the organization supports foster kids who age out of the system, and has managed to place many children back with their families securely.

The Communities in Schools program (CIS) places trained navigators in low-income schools to provide wraparound social support, helping students and families access public benefits, cover emergency expenses, provide behavioral counseling and address barriers that prevent students from succeeding academically. The non-profit has been helping students for 50 years, serving 2 million children across 26 states, and has seen significant academic and economic outcomes, including increasing high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

The You Belong Foster Youth Initiative is a partnership between LA County's Department of Children and Family Services and the local YMCA that provides free YMCA membership and wraparound services to foster youth ages 12-26 across 28 facilities. Launched in May 2025, the program offers various activities, including access to health and wellness classes, sports, and case management services, including mentoring and licensed clinical social workers.

Baby Savers allow mothers to place their babies for adoption anonymously. The box is monitored, and once a baby is received, social workers are notified to help organize housing and care. Many mothers and advocates see this as life-saving care, though many others are critical of the boxes, and they don’t have support from local government agencies. Despite that, some Savers have been open for over 20 years, taking in thousands of babies over the years.

Lumen High School enrolls pregnant and parenting teens, providing a “learn-as-you-go” approach to learning that makes it possible for them to parent and stay in school. The school provides full-day child care, free baby supplies, mental health counseling and other supports to help get students to graduation day. All the Lumen High School students who graduate have been accepted into college, with 95% enrolling or choosing to start working within the six months after graduation.

The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley (IHC) provides comprehensive community care for low-income people of all races and ethnicities. In an effort to address issues of food insecurity and poor access to nutrition, IHC partners with local food banks to provide free food in a farmer’s market setting, allowing people in need to choose the food they want. The Center also has a fitness center children can use with a doctor’s referral, as well as camps and educational programs for children surrounding fitness and nutrition.

School-based health centers provide free services including flu shots, physicals, contraceptive care and reproductive education, talk therapy and behavioral health care to students. Research has found that these school-based clinics boost vaccination rates, reduce hospital visits, lower rates of teen pregnancy and depression and improve grades and attendance levels, all while reducing disparities and making healthcare more accessible.

Teachers and Parents and Partners, or TAPP, facilitates communication between teachers and parents to help students who may be experiencing mental health struggles by monitoring and discussing behaviors at home and school. TAPP is being tested in big cities and small towns, but there’s an emphasis on rural school districts.