A HIGH-LEVEL CONVERSATION ON CHILDREN

The Westchester Children’s Association (WCA), the only independent child advocacy organization in Westchester, hosted its second “Commissioners’ Conversation on Children” June 13, at the Greenburgh Public Library. The event attracted over 100 attendees and included participation from several county officials in a panel discussion to discuss the preliminary release of numbers and information from WCA’s “2024 Community Snapshots.” This marked the 10th year that WCA published a biannual report, providing a statistical portrait of children and families by school district in Westchester County. The event provided a platform for county officials from Social Services, Community Mental Health, Health, Probation, and Workforce Development to share their visions and updates on how their departments aim to work toward a better future for Westchester’s children, youth and young adults.

Commissioner Michael Orth from the Department of Community Mental Health emphasized the importance of mental health sustainability while Liz Oliveto, program administrator of Youth Development at Westchester Putnam Career Center Network, highlighted the importance of community feedback in shaping youth programs.

“We’ve seen nearly five years of significant declines in reducing the number of children in foster care (congregate care placement) from 102 in 2019 to only 36 in 2024…at the same time we have increased the number of kids in kinship foster homes from 55 to 118 so they’re with family,” said Department of Social Services, First Deputy Commissioner John Befus.

Westchester Children’s Association is a multi-issue, child advocacy nonprofit that works to ensure that every child in Westchester is healthy, safe and prepared for life’s challenges, regardless of race or zip code.