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Chapin Hall

Policy research that benefits children, families, and their communities

06/04/2026

We need more cross-sector collaboration across state lines to solve problems for families.

In 2025, and child welfare leaders from Colorado, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Oregon spent six months learning together, sharing what works, and developing strategies to better serve families at the intersection of housing instability and involvement.

On June 15, join Chapin Hall, Casey Family Programs, CSH, and leaders from the four states in the cohort for a webinar on this collaborative. You’ll hear perspectives from professionals navigating the same challenge from very different starting points: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1uNUdbrZRfaMG3Nc8omt7Q #/registration

Guest speakers:

- Evan Caster - Deputy Director for the Division of Housing, Colorado Department of Local Affairs

- Janel Winter - Assistant Commissioner and Director, Division of Housing and Community Resources at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs

- Mary Carpenter - Executive Advisor at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services

- Stacey Mahler - Child Welfare Housing Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Human Services' Child Welfare Program

06/03/2026

To commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month, Illinois high school students moderated a roundtable discussion on May 27 with Governor JB Pritzker, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health Sameer Vohra, State Superintendent Tony Sanders, and Chapin Hall’s Dr. Dana Weiner. The youth asked questions of state leaders about the impact of social media on youth mental health and measures being taken to safeguard youth well-being.

“I was very impressed with the young people who facilitated our discussion, and encouraged by their initiative, commitment, and courage in using their own lived experience to motivate and inform policy advocacy on behalf of all Illinois youth,” said Dana Weiner, who is currently serving in Pritzker’s administration as the Chief Officer for Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation.

Weiner is leading the implementation of the Blueprint for Transformation: A Vision for Improved Behavioral Healthcare for Illinois Children, the data-driven roadmap she developed for the state in 2022. Explore that here:https://www.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/gov/documents/childrens-health-web.pdf

06/02/2026

What does it look like to bring to child well-being research?

For Bianca Burnside, Project Associate and lived expert at Chapin Hall, it looks like reading an interview guide and immediately sensing how someone who has navigated the child welfare system might respond to a particular question.

Her perspective consistently surfaces things that wouldn't otherwise be visible.

Check out our feature on Bianca, who is contributing firsthand knowledge of the Illinois child welfare system to projects focused on improving services for families: https://www.chapinhall.org/project/bringing-lived-experience-to-the-table-bianca-burnsides-path-to-chapin-hall-2/https://www.chapinhall.org/project/bringing-lived-experience-to-the-table-bianca-burnsides-path-to-chapin-hall-2/

05/29/2026

Chapin Hall is an Associate Researcher for a 2-year fellowship to serve as a Data Liaison for the OPT-In For Families initiative funded by the Doris Duke Foundation.

This is a multi-state pilot designed to strengthen community-based responses for families screened out from the Child Protective Services Hotline.

Explore the role and apply through the Current Job Openings button on this page: https://www.chapinhall.org/why-work-at-chapin-hall/

05/28/2026

Communication skills shape a person’s opportunities.

LEAP's Language for Scholars program helps students become confident communicators so they can achieve their goals – in school, in work, and in life. Hear a student’s story in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9_KJczAxLgA

05/27/2026

On June 15, join Chapin Hall, Casey Family Programs, and CSH for a webinar featuring leaders from Colorado, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Oregon — states with distinct policy landscapes who came together to tackle this shared challenge: too many families enter the child welfare system because they do not have stable housing.

These guest speakers will share their top takeaways:

- Evan Caster - Deputy Director for the Division of Housing, Colorado Department of Local Affairs

Janel Winter - Assistant Commissioner and Director, Division of Housing and Community Resources at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs

- Mary Carpenter - Executive Advisor at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services

- Stacey Mahler - Child Welfare Housing Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Human Services' Child Welfare Program

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1uNUdbrZRfaMG3Nc8omt7Q #/registration

05/26/2026

LEAP's Language for Scholars program teaches Black and Brown students communications skills without asking them to leave their identity at the door, and it’s making a difference.

Chapin Hall evaluated the program with 11th graders across two Chicago high schools and found participants gained stronger verbal and nonverbal communication skills, greater confidence in different settings, and a deeper feeling of authentic voice.

The takeaway is clear: when students have the tools to express themselves, they make big strides in their skills and confidence, which make them more prepared to achieve their life goals. Learn more: https://www.chapinhall.org/research/language-program-shows-improved-student-communication-and-confidence

This work was funded by a generous capacity-building grant from the Cook County Justice Advisory Council.

Speech-Language-Hearing Month

05/22/2026

Happy 5-year anniversary to Isabelle Cadrot, Senior Communications Coordinator at Chapin Hall!

Over five years, Isabelle has grown her skill set in every direction, adding graphic design, video production, and AI fluency to her already strong writing and editing foundation. She leveled up our internal newsletter, brought on a new internal email system, and consistently brings the whole team along whenever she discovers a better way of working.

She's a rarely well-rounded communications professional, and we're lucky to have her. Isabelle, thank you for all you do. We appreciate you!

Want to learn more about Isabelle? Explore her bio: https://www.chapinhall.org/person/isabelle-cadrot/

05/21/2026

What does it look like when students build communication skills without being asked to leave their identity at the door?

LEAP's Language for Scholars program is helping students become confident communicators so they can achieve their goals: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hX6ShDRer8o

05/20/2026

instability is a leading reason why families get reported to child welfare. Leaders are finding ways to change this by collaborating across agency and state lines.

On June 15, Chapin Hall, Casey Family Programs, CSH, and state leads from Colorado, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Oregon will share takeaways from the Housing as a Foundational Element of Family Well-Being Cohort. Over 6 months, cross-sector teams in this cohort met to identify policy and practice changes to keep families stably housed and out of the system.

Guest speakers:

- Evan Caster - Deputy Director for the Division of Housing, Colorado Department of Local Affairs

- Janel Winter - Assistant Commissioner and Director, Division of Housing and Community Resources at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs

- Mary Carpenter - Executive Advisor at the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services

- Stacey Mahler - Child Welfare Housing Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Human Services' Child Welfare Program

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1uNUdbrZRfaMG3Nc8omt7Q #/registration

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Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

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Website

http://ChapinHall.org/

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