Every Donation Makes a Difference
We're shocked by how many of you stepped up and helped us raise $10,000 in just 3 days! Thank you for standing with us and with youth!
We officially passed our original goal on December 23. Now we want to reach even higher. Help us get to $20,000 by December 31! Supporting Juvenile Law Center is more important now than ever. A gift of any size can make a difference. Here's how:
Teens Need Families. Period.
Most people think about young children when they think about kids in foster care. But around 26,000 18-year-olds “age out” of foster care every year. This means they are on their own, without a permanent family.
We can do better. Your donation means we can keep pushing for important reforms that affect tens of thousands of young people – like extending foster care to age 21, prioritizing permanent families for teens, and supporting educational success for youth in foster care.
We Fight for Kids' Educational Rights
Youth in foster care are often forced to jump from school to school when their foster placements change. This makes credit transfer a headache and often keeps students from graduating.
Because of this, we led efforts to craft and pass the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a groundbreaking federal law protecting school stability for youth in care. ESSA addresses these insurmountable roadblocks and protects children’s educational rights.
But our work isn’t done. Two federal bills on higher education for foster youth have stalled in Congress. These bills would make it easier for youth in foster care to attend, pay for, and graduate from college. We need your help to keep pushing Congress to encourage young people’s educational success.
End Solitary Confinement for Kids
Abusive practices like solitary confinement only hurt kids and don’t increase safety or contribute to rehabilitation.
On January 24, we filed a civil rights class action lawsuit against Wisconsin state officials for the unconstitutional use of solitary confinement, shackling, and pepper spray at two state-run facilities, Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls. Large numbers of youth at these “schools” were held in solitary confinement for 30 to 60 days at a time, often shackled to tables during their “free time,” and routinely pepper sprayed at point blank range for nonviolent behavior.
On June 23, we argued for a preliminary injunction to stop these abuses while the lawsuit progressed. The federal judge agreed and issued an injunction. We are still litigating this case, and we need your support!
Help Raise $20,000 by December 31
Donating is easy and only takes about 7 minutes. Your support means we can keep fighting for children’s rights in the courts, in legislatures and city halls, and with services providers. Join us, stand with youth, and make your gift today.