Children's Law Center

09/03/2026

This week, City Cast DC published an important article about how DC has one of the nation’s lowest pickup rates for the 988 Lifeline. A functioning crisis response system provides people with someone to call, someone to respond, and a safe place to go. We will continue to push for each part of our system to have the necessary funding, staffing, and operational capacity to deliver the services that DC children and families need, including mobile crisis response services, community-based care, and acute care.

Read the full piece:

Chronic understaffing at the Department of Behavioral Health has long separated callers in crisis from local resources.

09/02/2026

For years, young people with experience in DC’s foster care system fought tirelessly to create a new permanency option for older youth in care. Now, their vision is a reality. SOUL is officially law! Get to know some of these advocates in this powerful segment from ABC News: https://abcnews.com/video/134832909/

Children’s Law Center is proud to have collaborated with these lived experience leaders, along with the Family and Youth Initiative (DCFYI), Attorney General Brian Schwalb and the entire DC Office of the Attorney General, the DC Child and Family Services Agency, Councilmember Zachary Parker and the rest of the DC Council on this transformative law.

ABC News' Alex Presha talks to current and former foster youth about a new bill that would allow those in the system to choose their own families without losing legal contact with their birth parents.

09/01/2026

Every September, referrals to Children’s Law Center spike as families seek help navigating the challenges that come with a new school year. This year, we expect even more calls.

For 30 years, we’ve found creative ways to meet children and families where they are — from fighting for students’ rights to helping families access the services and support they need. As we look toward our next 30 years, your support helps make sure we can answer the call.

If you have the means, donate $30, $300 or even $3,000 for our 30th anniversary. Help us be there when they call: https://ow.ly/VThT50ZHT9y

08/31/2026

For 30 years, Children’s Law Center has pioneered new strategies, forged powerful partnerships and evolved to meet the changing needs of DC children.

One example: the DC Healthy Housing Map, developed with Children’s National's Child Health Advocacy Institute, IMPACT DC and Yachad D.C. By combining data on pediatric asthma and unhealthy housing conditions, the map pinpoints where children face the greatest health risks – and where action is needed most.

Innovations like this help improve the lives of individual children – and drive solutions that improve the health and housing for thousands of DC children and families. Learn more about the Healthy Housing Map in The Washington Informer:

Mya Trujillo of The Washington Informer features our partnership with IMPACT DC, Children's National’s Child Health Advocacy Institute and Yachad to

08/27/2026

For DC students, what happens outside the classroom can have a major impact on what happens inside it.

This summer, heat, wildfire smoke and broken air conditioning are putting children with asthma at greater risk. Changes to school-based behavioral health programs are leaving some students without the clinicians they’ve come to trust. As federal cuts chip away at programs families rely on for food, health care and other essentials, the pressure keeps growing.

Children shouldn’t have to carry these burdens alone. Children’s Law Center works alongside families to address the challenges that stand between children and the opportunity to thrive. For our 30th anniversary, give $30, $300 or even $3,000 to support our work, and help us lighten the load for DC children and families this school year: https://ow.ly/SOKx50ZG7zW

08/21/2026

A new school year should be a fresh start, but for many DC children, they are carrying a heavier burden as they enter their classrooms. Nearly 40,000 children in the District are growing up in poverty — and that number is rising again.

As families face higher costs, fewer safety nets and growing uncertainty, your support helps Children’s Law Center lighten the load when students and families need it most. https://ow.ly/JzpE50ZCtmn

08/17/2026

Innovation means being ready when children and families need us most. When crisis strikes, Children’s Law Center has responded to urgent challenges with innovative legal strategies— meeting urgent needs with swift, lasting solutions.

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we're reflecting on the innovative approaches that help children navigate today's challenges while creating stronger systems for tomorrow.
Learn more about our history of innovation: https://ow.ly/wWg550ZAF1V

08/13/2026

From the very beginning, Children’s Law Center has embraced bold ideas that improve children’s lives. Nearly 25 years ago, one of those ideas transformed how we support children and families in DC: adding a lawyer to a child’s medical team.

Our innovative medical-legal partnerships brought legal advocacy directly into pediatric clinics to address issues impacting children's health. What began in a single clinic has grown into partnerships across 10 clinics throughout DC, helping thousands of children and families access the support they need.

As we celebrate 30 years of innovation, we're reflecting on the groundbreaking solutions that not only transform individual lives but also reshape the systems and policies that children and families rely on.

Learn more about our history of innovation + what's next: https://ow.ly/Amm650ZzyYy

08/11/2026

For 30 years, Children’s Law Center has met the evolving needs of children and families with bold ideas and creative solutions. As we continue celebrating our 30th anniversary, we’re turning our focus to Innovation — the work that has challenged the status quo and transformed outcomes for children and families.

Learn more about the innovations that shape our work: https://ow.ly/S42R50ZyEpP

08/01/2026

We’d like to thank all the interns and clerks who have worked with our teams this summer! Your dedication brightens our workplace and inspires us all!

For our final National Intern Day series post meet Angel, who served as a law clerk in our Guardian ad Litem program, supporting attorneys who provide holistic advocacy on behalf of a child’s best interests.