Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families

Foundations (Early Childhood Program) helps prepare young children to enter and flourish in pre-K and kindergarten. While JI assists local centers with licensing and quality improvement, we know families and parents and children's greatest teachers. JI strives to build families' resources and skills as well as ensure that families have access to social, physical, and mental health services. activities: 144 programs with 4,926 slots signed up for UPK, incl 13 of 15 school districts. 2,468 families were matched with a provider of their choice (note in the Summer of 2024, applications surged and there were not enough slots for applications). (Continued on Sch O)

VOICES Program ensures that our services are guided by youth and families' input and perspective. VOICES promotes trauma-informed practice, restorative principles, and two-generational programming to help families recover and thrive. activities: Peaceful Households training, Youth Advisory Board to encourage youth engagement, and CORE Panel: Reviewed JI's policies and procedures and made recommendations using equity and inclusion lens.

Pathways Program brings various agencies together to provide direct service to struggling youth, using a whole-family-centered approach to help youth 10-18 get back on track. activities: Seed funding for a Juvenile Assessment Center, ISST services, longer-term coordinated and/or wraparound services, Data successes, Direct family assistance (food, housing, transportation), and Site monitoring resulted in "Best Practice"Exceeding Expectations" .