Maryland First in Nation to Prioritize, Fund Services for Children of Incarcerated Parents
ANNAPOLIS, MD � The Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership presented the Executive Director of the Governor�s Office for Children, Arlene Lee, with its Innovators Award for Children of Incarcerated Parents today during the Inaugural Bay Area Summit on Children of Incarcerated Parents for her vision, innovation, and persistence in directing attention to Maryland as the first state to prioritize and fund services for children of incarcerated parents on a state-wide level.
�Under Arlene�s leadership on behalf of the Hogan administration, Maryland has become the first state to make funding for children of incarcerated parents available on a state-wide level,� said Carol Burton, Co-Chairperson, Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership. �We hope that other states will look to the work being done in Maryland as a blueprint towards statewide transformation.�
Lee was chosen for this award in recognition of her professional leadership as a �beacon of light and hope for many policy advocates and service providers,� and as a �pioneer in the field, a trailblazer, and as an innovator.� Lee was also asked to offer opening remarks for the Summit to give historical context and direct the overarching tone for the event.