J.K. Elder & Associates, Inc.

#ThrowbackThursday to the Together We Can Conference in Louisiana! What an incredible event! Our own Dr. Elizabeth Wynter of J.K. Elder & Associates, Inc. delivered a powerful keynote on Becoming Youth-Centered, inspiring leaders to elevate youth voice in decision-making. It was also a joy to reconnect with Kayana Bradley from LEAF - Louisiana Elite Advocacy Force, reflecting on our shared commitment to transforming systems for young people. Grateful for the opportunity to be part of this important conversation! #TogetherWeCan #YouthCentered #SystemsChange #Leadership #JKEA #JKElderAndAssociates #LEAF

Check out the March edition of the Foster Youth Champion Blog from J.K. Elder & Associates, Inc. Chief Strategy Officer, Dr. Elizabeth Wynter! 🚀✨ 📢 For many young people, college is more than just an education—it’s a pathway to independence, opportunity, and a future of their own making. But for students experiencing homelessness and those who have been in foster care, that path is often filled with obstacles: financial instability, lack of support, and the daily struggle to meet basic needs like housing and food. This month’s Foster Youth Voice Champion Blog highlights insights from a recent article from the Urban Institute: The Role of State Policy in Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness and Former Foster Youth in Higher Education https://lnkd.in/genNN_jw . The report underscores the importance of youth-centered policies that go beyond tuition assistance to provide stability, well-being, and real support for young people navigating higher education. 🗣️ Young people don’t need more red tape—they need real solutions. Florida’s expansion of tuition exemptions is a step forward, but are these policies truly meeting young people where they are? Are we listening to their voices, removing barriers, and ensuring they have what they need to succeed? 💡 What do you think? How can we better support students with lived experience in foster care and homelessness? Let’s continue this critical conversation. #FosterYouthVoice #YouthCenteredPolicy #HigherEducation #BreakingBarriers #YouthEmpowerment #EducationForAll

🎉 Hats Off to North Carolina's Transformative Work! 🎉 We at JKEA Consulting are thrilled to celebrate the incredible strides being made by Crossnore Communities for Children, which recently received $5.5 million to expand their groundbreaking Professional Foster Parent Model through the Bridging Families© program. This innovative program envisions a world where children can thrive with their families. By taking a team-based approach, it builds resilience within families, empowers birth parents with the support of professional foster parents, and provides compassionate guidance through the reunification process. What makes this model extraordinary? Foster parents are salaried employees, fully dedicated to parenting the children in their care while collaborating with the family of origin to ensure a path toward healing and reunification. This approach shifts the paradigm in child welfare, centering on family preservation and long-term stability. 👏 Kudos to Crossnore Communities for Children for leading this change and setting a powerful example for us all. At JKEA, we are inspired by their commitment to innovation! #YouthCentered #FamilyResilience #ProfessionalFosterParents #Reunification #ChildWelfareInnovation #JKEAConsulting #EmpoweringFamilies #ChildWelfareTransformation

We are JKEA! 🌟 At J.K. Elder & Associates, Inc., we know that partnering with a consulting firm for proposal development, grant opportunities, or evaluating the impact of your programming is crucial to achieving your organization's goals. Our success is driven by the incredible expertise of our team, led by our Founder and CEO, Jean K. Elder PhD, FAAIDD. Together, we provide tailored strategies to help you tackle challenges and make a lasting impact. Meet our team and let's work together to turn your vision into reality! 💡 #Consulting #YouthEngagement #ImpactEvaluation #GrantWriting #NonprofitLeadership #JKEA

🔹 Shifting the Culture to Truly Engage Youth and Families 🔹 Authentic youth and family engagement in child welfare requires more than just inviting them to the table—it demands a culture shift. The Capacity Building Center for States outlines key strategies for making this shift in their report, Strategic Planning in Child Welfare: Strategies for Meaningful Youth, Family, and Other Partner Engagement. To truly integrate youth and family voice, we need more than good intentions—we need a path forward for culture change. This means embedding lived experience into decision-making, sharing power, and creating spaces where youth and families shape policies and practices. 📌 Check out the full report here: Strategic Planning in Child Welfare. https://lnkd.in/ev2CB-S2 If your organization is ready to take the next step in creating a youth-driven, family-centered system, J.K. Elder & Associates can help. Let’s work together to make meaningful engagement a reality! 🚀🤝 #JKEA #YouthEngagement #ChildWelfare #FamilyVoice #SystemsChange #CultureShift

Youth Services Insider takes a look at some of the people who are at least temporarily in charge of some key agencies and divisions on youth and family policy.

🌟 Looking for an Evaluation Partner? Consider J.K. Elder & Associates! 🌟 At JKE&A, we specialize in partnering with clients to develop and implement innovative social services programs that drive real change. 🚀 Our approach: ✅ Focus on both short-term opportunities and long-term systemic transformations. ✅ Leverage evidence-based practices and emerging best practices. ✅ Develop meaningful metrics to track outcomes and impact. We offer a pragmatic, collaborative approach to program development and evaluation, ensuring efficiency, creativity, and positive community transformations. Let’s work together to create innovative solutions that make a difference! 📩 Connect with us to learn more. #ProgramEvaluation #SocialServices #CommunityImpact #InnovativeSolutions #JKEAConsulting

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟 J.K. Elder & Associates, Inc. was honored to lead the Youth-Centered Leadership Exchange for the National Center for Community-Based Child Welfare! Our COO and lived experience expert, Bryanna Schmekel, MPH delivered powerful insights on the need for intentionality in how we engage and support young people. Being youth-centered isn’t just a concept—it requires a commitment to shifting mindsets, creating meaningful opportunities for youth to lead, and ensuring their voices shape policies and practices that impact their lives. A huge thank you to Carrie Bolm and Chad Collins with National Center for Community-Based Child Welfare for prioritizing this critical conversation. Together, we’re building a future where young people are truly heard, valued, and empowered. Want to learn more about becoming youth-centered? Drop "Interested" in the comments, and we’ll reach out! #YouthCentered #ElevatingYouthVoices #Leadership #CommunityBasedCare #SystemsChange #JKEAConsulting

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟 J.K. Elder & Associates, Inc. was honored to lead the Youth-Centered Leadership Exchange for the National Center for Community-Based Child Welfare! Our COO and lived experience expert, Bryanna Schmekel, MPH delivered powerful insights on the need for intentionality in how we engage and support young people. Being youth-centered isn’t just a concept—it requires a commitment to shifting mindsets, creating meaningful opportunities for youth to lead, and ensuring their voices shape policies and practices that impact their lives. A huge thank you to Carrie Bolm and Chad Collins with National Center for Community-Based Child Welfare for prioritizing this critical conversation. Together, we’re building a future where young people are truly heard, valued, and empowered. Want to learn more about becoming youth-centered? Drop "Interested" in the comments, and we’ll reach out! #YouthCentered #ElevatingYouthVoices #Leadership #CommunityBasedCare #SystemsChange #JKEAConsulting

Is it Time to Partner with a Consulting Firm? Nonprofit and social impact organizations often face moments where they need Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to achieve their goals. If any of the following resonate with you, it might be time to consider bringing in a consulting firm: 📝 Grant Mining & Writing: Struggling to identify the right funding opportunities or craft compelling proposals? SME's can uncover hidden grants and align your applications with funder priorities. 📊 Evaluation: Measure and showcase the impact of your programs. SME's can design evaluations that not only demonstrate results but also guide continuous improvement. 🏆 Accreditation: Feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of accreditation requirements? An SME can streamline the process, ensuring compliance and preparation with confidence. 🔄 Systems Change: Want to reimagine your organization’s operations or address systemic challenges? Consultants bring fresh perspectives, proven strategies, and actionable roadmaps for transformation. Partnering with the right consulting firm isn’t just an expense—it’s an investment in your mission’s success. The right partner brings focus, expertise, and capacity to help you overcome barriers and achieve lasting change. 📩 Ready to explore how a consulting partner can help you grow? Let's connect! #NonprofitLeadership #GrantWriting #Evaluation #Accreditation #SystemsChange #Consulting #StrategicGrowth #NonprofitSuccess #JKEAConsulting #MissionDriven #SocialImpact #CapacityBuilding