The Connected Kids Initiative (CKI) was born out of eight unique Minnesota agencies collaborating for a better future for kids and families in our communities and neighborhoods. They launched their non-traditional team (non-profit, government and church) in late 2016 and came up with a strategic plan.  They piloted their idea in Anoka County and within one […]

The biological need for belonging is incredibly strong and pervasive in all humans. It is the basis for our survival in life. Human babies require the longest time span for development to adulthood. We have drawn the line at 18 years of age; when it is said we become an adult human. However, we know […]

After three and a half years, the Sauer Collaborative for Child Well-Being came full circle.  We came together at the Minneapolis Foundation in June of 2014.  We invited a group of professionals from across the child welfare system to come together to work on aligning the system to child well-being.  Over the years, the collaborative […]

A few years ago, we did two focus groups: one was with youth aging out of foster care and one was with adults who had been in foster care.  In both groups, I listened as they talked about what it felt like to only have adults in their lives who were paid to be there.  […]

We are just beginning to understand the trauma some children experience at early ages. As funders of programs that help children, it is important to pay attention to trauma and how to heal it. I heard a person from a local school district say they didn’t want to ask children specific questions because when they […]