Campaign Story
About the project
Project Children Rights Inc (CRI) aims to enhance the lives of 315,000 underprivileged children across 24 states in the USA through strategic litigation, advocacy, and public education. By identifying flawed and harmful systems nationwide, CRI drives reforms through legal action and policy initiatives, fostering meaningful improvements in children’s well-being.
Making a difference
CRY America’s Project Children Rights Inc. works towards ensuring the health and safety of children by defending their rights and enabling sustainable systemic changes through need-based litigation and advocacy. The project’s initiatives include monitoring and tracking children’s health records, as well as filing cases of child abuse and neglect in residential or foster homes. The organization’s legal campaigns pave the way for systems to become more transparent and accountable, facilitating the identification and resolution of underlying issues. From protecting the rights of immigrant children to expanding access to home- and community-based mental health care for Medicaid-eligible youth, Project CRI works to ensure that legal authorities and systems uphold the dignity of every child.
Way Forward
Work toward final federal court approval of the settlement agreement in C.K. v. McDonald, a landmark class action benefiting 2.5 million Medicaid-eligible children in New York.
● Establish a new national model for home- and community-based mental health care in New York.
● Currently fighting legal cases in 7 different regions, and another new case is likely to begin soon.
● Challenge the inhumane warehousing of youth with mental health needs by advocating for safe, supportive, community-based care in Alabama, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.
● End the unsafe administration of psychotropic medications to children in Maryland’s foster care system.
● Address state failures to provide home- and community-based mental health services to Medicaid-eligible children in New York and Rhode Island.
● Improve housing and mental health support for young children transitioning from adolescence to adulthood to prevent homelessness and ensure a successful move from child welfare to independent living in Los Angeles County.
● Prepare for Flores v. Bondi, a landmark Supreme Court case to protect the rights of immigrant children in federal custody.
● Reframe family separation as a civil and human rights issue.
● Lead a national movement to replace fear-based reporting with community-centered support systems.
● End institutionalization and expand community-based care in partnership with the Are You Listening (AYL) Collaborative and youth leaders in New York.
The way forward
● Greater likelihood of safe reunification with families
● Better access to appropriate treatment, education and healthcare
● Better conditions and treatment for unaccompanied immigrant minors
● Greater availability of well-supported foster homes
The way forward
● Orienting Anganwadi teachers on Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme components.
● Strengthening parents monitoring committee
● Conducting awareness programmes on child labor at the community level
● Implementing Life Skills Modules in child collectives to inculcate self-esteem and self confidence
● Transact life skills modules on sexual and reproductive health in adolescent girls collectives
Project Impact
South Carolina: 98% of children under 12 are placed in safe, family-like settings.
Rhode Island: 96% of children have had their family connections restored.
Rhode Island: Sibling visits increased from 3% to 93%, greatly improving sibling bonds.
South Carolina: 100% of investigator caseloads are now within the acceptable limit of 8 cases.
Atlanta: Medical needs of 93% of youth in the child welfare system are being met.
Atlanta: 87% of parental visitations occurred according to children’s case plans.
Atlanta: 95% of sibling placement goals were fulfilled, improving children’s health and supporting family preservation.
Protected the nation’s only binding safeguards ensuring humane treatment and the prompt release of immigrant children in federal custody.
Received approval for a settlement agreement benefiting more than 13,000 Medicaid-eligible children and youth
Received preliminary approval for a settlement agreement in New York to improve access to children’s mental health services.
A journey toward healing and hope
Last Year’s Grant Disbursed: $23,939
Grant Budget for period January 2025 to December 2025 = $50,000.
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