Roots and Wings Jonquil Newland

The Department of Children Services has partnered with the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to start a program that aims to put money in the pockets of families and guardians who are caring for children in foster care that also have intellectual disabilities. The Tennessee Strong Families Healthcare Reimbursement Account  provides up to $20,000 annually for those families. Podcast host, Jonquil Newland, sits down with Babs Tierno, the deputy director of Tennessee Strong Families with the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to discuss the details.

Additional Resources;
TN Strong Families Healthcare Reimbursement Account (HRA)
Email: tn.strong.families@tn.gov  

Conversations around autism spectrum disorder or ASD are happening more often as the number of children and youth diagnosed with ASD continues to significantly increase. Ascend Autism's Clinical Director Sharon Dudhnath-Grotsky and Co Founder Nathan Kronforst sit down with podcast host, Jonquil Newland, to discuss the  resources available for Tennessee families. 

The number one killer of children older than 1 in Tennessee are firearms. It's a very hard statistic to fathom, especially since many of those deaths are preventable. For children and youth younger than 17-years-old, Tennessee’s rate of gun deaths is 36 percent higher than the national average. Dr. Kelsey Gastineau is a pediatrician at Monroe Carrel Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and a national expert on firearm violence. She sits down with podcast host, Jonquil Newland, to discuss this hard truth and the hope that exists to make a change.

Resources
Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy Poll 
Sycamore Report
SAFER Safe Storage Prevents Harm (AAP online free course)
One Step Closer to Safer: Counseling Outcomes form American Academy of Pediatrics Firearm Safe Storage Education Training 
Improving the Frequency and Documentation of Gun Safety Counseling in a Resident Primary Care Clinic 
Project Child Safe 

Child care costs across the nation and in Tennessee are rising. While there are several challenges facing the child care market in general, there are also state partners and organizations working to make child care more accessible and affordable for Tennessee families. Director of Child Care Services with the Department of Human Services Gwen Laaser sits down with podcast host, Jonquil Newland, to discuss the challenges that face the child care industry and the resources available. 

This podcast episode highlights some of the work Tennessee state representatives have accomplished that benefits children and families and how the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth has served in a supporting role. Senator Page Walley sits down with podcast host Jonquil Newland to discuss the state's work and where can strive to improve. 

To educate the public on the importance of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth and why the agency exists, this episode looks back in history to 35 years ago. At the time, Bill Purcell was a new member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and went on to become the House Majority Leader and Chair of the Select Committee on Children and Youth. Purcell sits down with podcast host, Jonquil Newland, to look back on the tone of the legislator at the time and how elected officials worked across party lines for the betterment of children and youth in Tennessee.