Dedication and hope for the future

     Welcome to 2023! I am excited to start a new year, made all the more so because we are kicking off our new Strategic Plan: Vision28 for the next five years. For me, the plan symbolizes both dedication and hope in our future work together to strengthen the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) movement so that we can ensure that even more children can benefit from the transformative help available through CACs. That dedication included an astonishing amount of time, effort, and sheer hard work that began in 2021, continued through 2022, and engaged all of you—our membership and a range of NCA stakeholders—across various information-gathering activities and venues to shape our strategic plan. Thank you for your participation and sharing your guidance and wisdom with us. Collectively, your feedback set our priorities for the next five years.

     In the end, we identified five strategic priorities that set the future direction not only of National Children’s Alliance (NCA) but, through your partnership, our collective work together across the CAC movement. It’s worth noting that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is incorporated as a foundational strand across and a lens for all NCA’s strategic priorities, objectives, and strategic activities rather than being siloed in a single priority.

     The five strategic priorities are:

  1. Strategic partnerships
  2. Strengthening practice
  3. Awareness and capacity building
  4. Leadership and workforce development
  5. Organizational excellence

     I know, too, that you share in the hope that it represents for the future—for the future of NCA; for the future of our member centers, State Chapters, and partners; and most of all, for the future of the children and families we serve. Thank you for working with us every day so that, together, we can ensure that no future is out of reach for the children served by CACs. Happy New Year!

Warmly,

Teresa Huizar

Chief Executive Officer

National Children's Alliance