About the Southern Institute

Background

The Southern Institute on Children and Families is an independent non-profit organization that improves the well-being of children and families through knowledge, leadership and action. We educate through research of policies, systems and practices. We generate greater awareness and equip community and business leaders and policymakers with knowledge to make informed decisions. Since our establishment in 1990 as a 501(c)(3) public policy organization, we have aggressively pursued our mission to improve opportunities for children and families in the South and also have provided direction and leadership on national programs consistent with our mission.

The Southern Institute utilizes a comprehensive approach in examining our issues of focus and involves key players in development and implementation of effective solutions. The methods and strategies we apply to issues affecting low-income children and families in the South have consistently led to greater awareness of critical public policy issues, development of promising strategies to address those issues and strong collaborative partnerships poised for action. Information in this The 2002 Annual Report provides specific information on current and future initiatives. A general review is provided below.

The Southern Institute believes collaboration with the business community is essential to development of comprehensive approaches and achievement of significant progress on behalf of low-income children and families across our region. Through the Southern Business Leadership Council (SBLC) established by the Southern Institute in 2002, we are working to achieve bold action beneficial to families, employers and communities as a whole. We believe the participation of business leaders elevates the goal of improving the well-being of children and establishes a connection to the strategic growth and development of the southern region.

The Southern Institute’s cutting edge research on access to public child health coverage programs in the 1990s led to the establishment of more progressive health coverage policies for low-income children and families in the South and across the nation. Through our direction of the Covering Kids & Families national initiative, we work to reduce the number of uninsured children through the identification, enrollment and retention of children and adults who are eligible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

The Southern Regional Initiative on Child Care has completed three years of substantive work under the guidance of the Southern Institute resulting in the development and implementation of two actions to improve access to quality, affordable child care throughout the South. The action plans provide a blueprint for the southern states and implementation of the plans are tracked annually to identify areas of progress and areas requiring further attention.

Through the Supporting Families After Welfare Reform national program, Southern Institute initiatives to achieve needed policy and program changes through process improvement strategies are encouraging public and private entities to function more effectively and efficiently. By promoting awareness of the benefits of small scale testing, the Southern Institute helps improve both the knowledge base and comfort level of organizations handling daunting policies and system structures, ultimately leading them to program reforms and positive results.

In addition to the programs mentioned above, the 2002 Annual Report provides information on the Chartbook of Major Indicators: Conditions Placing Children in the South At Risk published in August 2002. and outlines planned initiatives and goals of the Southern Institute on Children and Families, including our longstanding interest in identifying and resolving transportation issues affecting low-income children and families in the South. Visit the Publications section on our website for publications on these and related topics.

The Southern Institute on Children and Families concentrates its work on 17 southern states (listed below) and the District of Columbia. This geographic area comprises one-third of the country and represents a disproportionate incidence of conditions that place children and families at risk.