JustChildren Publications

The JustChildren Program has put together publications that can help you to navigate the complicated process of getting appropriate services for your children.

Most of these files are in the Adobe PDF format.  Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.

• "A Good Place to Start:  A Focus on Education Advocacy in Virginia" (Sylvia Cosby Jones and Sarah Geddes:MIE Journal, Winter 2008)
• "The Price of a Free Public Education"(2008)
• Don't Wait Up (Juvenile Justice and Brain Development) (Charisa Smith: New Jersey Family Law Journal, 2008)
• Helping You Help Your Child:  A Focus on Education  (2010)
• In School, The Right School, Finish School,  A Guide to Improving Educational Opportunities for Court-Involved Youth. JustChildren is one of the authors of this publication by the The National Children’s Law Network (2007) 
• High School Dropout and Graduation Rates:  What Do the Numbers Tell Us?  (developed in collaboration with Voices for Virginia’s Children) (2006)
• Juvenile Rights Handbook (developed in collaboration with the Virginia State Bar) (2006)
• Summary of Best Practices in School Reentry (2004 with 2006 Preface)
• Coming Home:  A Brief Look at Reentry Issues for Virginia Families (2007 Power Point Presentation)
• Reenrollment:  Q&A for Parents and Students (2006)
• Reenrollment:  Q&A for School Personnel (2006)
• Reenrollment:  Q&A for Juvenile Justice Staff (2006)
• JustChildren Biennial Report 2004-05 

In addition, there are many organizations in the state of Virginia and nationally that provide useful information about two of the issues of greatest import to our at-risk children: public education and juvenile justice.  We include some of them below that we have found particularly useful.

Our Partners

Alliance for Virginia’s Students is committed to encouraging all Virginians to demand high quality educational opportunities for every child in the Commonwealth.  The Alliance website contains information on current issues and helps citizens find ways to make their voices heard so that policymakers can respond to the educational needs of all students in the Commonwealth, from preschool to high school.  Click here to take action to support public education in Virginia.

Campaign for Youth Justice is a non-profit organization geared towards preventing the transfer of juvenile offenders to the adult criminal justice system.  The website provides information on advocacy efforts and recommendations on how to start your own advocacy campaign.

Center on Children’s Law and Policy is a public interest and policy oriented organization that promotes juvenile justice reform and advocates for adequate recognition of juveniles’ rights.  The website includes information about juvenile justice reform initiatives around the country. 

Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender Center is a non-profit organization housed at the University of Richmond that that seeks to change the culture of juvenile justice by ensuring excellence in juvenile defense and promoting justice for all children in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Puerto Rico, Virginia and West Virginia.  The website provides information about juvenile justice events, news, and publications. 

National Children’s Law Network (NCLN) has as its mission to improve the lives and opportunities of court-involved children across the country by enhancing the quality of legal representation of children, developing standards and best practices for children's law centers around the country, and improving educational opportunities and outcomes for court-involved children.

University of Richmond Children's Law Center (CLC-UR) offers three clinics in which law students work with real clients on juvenile justice issues.  The website provides information about the unique services that the Children’s Law Center offers.

Voices for Virginia’s Children is a non-profit organization that supports research, policy, and coordinated efforts to advocate on behalf of children in the areas of early care and education, foster care and adoption, health and mental health, and more.  The website provides information about current policy issues and opportunities to participate in the legislative or administrative debate.  Click here to read about Voices’ 2007 Legislative Agenda or take action on many of the major issues affecting children in the Commonwealth. 

Resource Centers

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a high quality education for all students with disabilities.  COPAA believes achieving its goal requires collaboration between parents and educators.  COPAA’s members are parents of students with disabilities, parents’ attorneys, and advocates for children with disabilities.  The COPAA website offers information on how to find an attorney or advocate in Virginia and across the United States as well as information on COPAA’s policy and litigation efforts and its annual conference.

Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) provides education and training for families, schools, and professionals committed to helping children with disabilities.  This website contains information for parents and guardians about special education services.

Wrightslaw provides a compilation of cases and articles regarding education and special education law.  The website also includes useful resources to assist those who advocate for children with disabilities.

State Agencies

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provides a comprehensive website with information on a wide variety of topics ranging from student achievement and academic standards to teacher and administrator requirements and accountability.  The website includes information on special education services, dispute resolution proceedings, the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, and graduation requirements.  VDOE also publishes Annual School Report Cards for each school and division in the Commonwealth.  Click here to learn more about your child’s school. 

Virginia Department of Education-Special Education & Student Services Branch. This comprehensive website serves as a helpful resource for parents and guardians of children with disabilities.  It provides information on a variety of special education topics, including accountability, monitoring, accreditation, assessment, reporting and regulations, and contains a “troubleshooting” guide for parents who have special concerns regarding a local school division.  VDOE also provides information about the various ways you can resolve disputes with your child’s school.  Click here for more information about dispute resolution.

Virginia State Special Education Advisory Committee (SSEAC) is a group of stakeholders appointed by the Virginia Board of Education to advise policymakers on policy issues affecting children with disabilities in Virginia.  The SSEAC publishes annual reports, which are available on its webpage.  The page also contains information about past and future committee meetings.  The SSEAC receives comments from the public.  Click here for the date and location of the SSEAC’s next meeting and to learn more about its public comment policies. 

Virginia Department of Social Services Virginia Department of Social Services offers programs and services to improve the lives of those who experience  abuse and neglect or need services to support and preserve the family. The website includes information about each of the services and programs that VDSS provides and lists the eligibility requirements for these programs.    Click here to locate contact information for your local social services agency.

Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (VDJJ) oversees local court services units (probation) and juvenile correctional facilities, among other things.  The website provides visitation and other information about each facility as well as an overview of the juvenile court process and on its website about community supervision (probation) and recent legislation related to juvenile justice in the Commonwealth. 

Virginia Department of Correctional Education (VDCE) provides academic and vocational programs to youth and adults during their incarceration.  VDCE, VDJJ, and VDOE have established requirements for facilities, court services, and schools to work together to create re-enrollment plans that will allow youth offenders returning home from incarceration to start school within two days of their release.  Click here to learn more about re-enrollment planning.