At Arrow, our mission has always been clear: “Helping Kids & Strengthening Families.” Arrow has served children and families in Maryland since 1997 through critical services, including special education, community-based services, treatment foster care, and residential intervention. With more than 300 employees and outreach spanning all 24 Maryland jurisdictions, our work impacts the lives of approximately 500 children and families.

Recently, a dedicated team from Arrow—including Robert Basler, Susan McLendon, Adrienne, and Jennifer McGlothlin-Renault—traveled to Annapolis to meet with legislators. They advocated for essential services that directly impact the children and families we serve.

The Issues: 

• Access to Special Education Services: Proposed changes to the Nonpublic School Funding Formula would shift more financial responsibility onto local school systems. This could make it harder for families to access specialized educational placements for their children.
• Staffing Shortages in Education & Social Work: Maryland struggles to attract and retain teachers and social workers, especially for high-need populations.
• Limited Foster Care Resources: Funding foster parent stipends and social worker salaries has not kept pace with the rising costs of caring for youth with complex needs, delaying placements for children in need of stable homes.
• Youth Staying in Hotels: A shortage of foster homes and residential care options has led to youth in the Department of Human Services being housed in hotels, a temporary and inadequate solution.

Arrow’s Legislative Push: 

• Support Teacher & Social Worker License Mobility (HB118 & HB345,SB174) These bills provide details on interstate mobility of teacher and social worker licenses, respectively. This can help to attract more qualified professionals to Maryland, strengthening the workforce serving vulnerable youth. 
• Support Legislation that Helps Foster Youth Success Bills such as HB1057 & SB0833 aim to provide childcare stipends for foster families. Also, HB1121 & SB0687 childcare scholarships for youth transitioning out of foster care.
• Preserve the 70/30% Nonpublic School Funding Formula to ensure families can continue accessing specialized education for their children without additional burdens on local schools.
• Fully Fund Treatment Foster Care Programs through the Quality Services Reform Initiative to increase foster parent stipends and social worker salaries, improving placement rates for children in need.
• Invest in Solutions for Youth in Hotels by supporting Governor Moore’s SSA budget, which promotes collaboration between child welfare, behavioral health, and service providers to find better housing and care options.

Continuing the Fight for Maryland’s Children 

Arrow’s trip to Annapolis reinforced the power of advocacy. Their visit came at a pivotal time, as budget discussions and policy changes threaten to create new challenges for vulnerable populations.

By standing together and speaking out for the needs of children and families, we can drive real change. Involvement in meetings like these, will continue to shape policies that support the well-being of Maryland’s most vulnerable youth.

We thank our team for their dedication and our legislative partners for their support!