Tiny Bus, Big Opportunities for Immigrant Kids

Sesame Street has long been used as an educational tool for children throughout the U.S., but a partnership between the International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop is expanding the reach of the popular television program. Together, the IRC and Sesame Workshop have now created a version of the show that specifically targets issues faced by children in refugee camps with the goal of enhancing both emotional and educational well-being.

Frustrated by the lack of childcare funding and access, one woman created a documentary showcasing the issue. It received widespread attention throughout the state, leading to a state representative sponsoring a $7 million bill to increase childcare funding and provider wages and to expand access to subsidies for middle-income families. It also led the governor to create the Alaska Child Care Task Force to oversee state licensing regulations to make the process of becoming a licensed childcare provider and opening a facility more accessible.

In partnership with other local organizations and advocacy groups, Communities for Kids trains providers to offer Spanish-language childcare, as the state lacks sufficient access to culturally responsive, bilingual care. The training is free and has already licensed several individuals who now run their own Spanish-speaking childcare centers.

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Fund provides free childcare for families who earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level and serves about 18,423 children a month. Access to free childcare has also impacted parent’s health, particularly mothers, as they’re often the ones taking time away from themselves and their jobs to handle the majority of childcare tasks.

When the coronavirus pandemic caused businesses and organizations to stop in-person offerings, a non-profit in Washington that specializes in services for children with special needs quickly shifted operations to an online format. Although this new online business model isn't financially feasible in the longterm, it has helped bridge the gap in care for many families and "the data so far suggest that most children are doing just as well as with in-person services."

Unique among community colleges in California, Los Angeles Valley College provides childcare and other services for parents working towards their degrees while also raising a child.

For people like Jasmine Smith, a single mother of two who lost her job after her broken and unfixable car thwarted her commute, one's options to provide for themselves and their families are few and far between. However, through Pathway of Hope, a national Salvation Army initiative that’s supported thousands in finding housing and financial stability, Smith was given financial resources, housing assistance, emotional support, a sense of self-sufficiency, and the will to continue her education.

Montana, home to nine Native American languages, becomes the second state to fund indigenous language immersion programs in public schools. The same languages were once forbidden, but now they are helping to preserve a disappearing culture and closing the graduation rate gap for Native American students.

As parents struggle to find quality, affordable child care, faith-based centers like Chicago's Little Muslims are stepping in to fill the gap for some families. The program, which is one of about 7,500 sponsored by churches or religious organizations across the country, serves students of any religion but is structured around Islamic needs and customs, including offering halal meat and marking Muslim holidays.

The Boys' Club of New York addresses the mental health crisis among at-risk boys by providing structured programming, peer mentorship from alumni staff, and a culture of belonging across three clubhouses and roughly 2,500 members.