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September is National Recovery Month, a time to educate the public about substance use treatment and mental health services that can help people live healthy and rewarding lives. The Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) department at the Division of Children and Family Services provides specialized interventions for families working with the child welfare system when a parent has a diagnosed chemical dependency.

A recent evaluation of children attending kindergarten in urban and inner-ring public school districts in Cuyahoga County documented the benefits of attending a high-quality UPK program compared to high quality, non-UPK preschool.

The program, which runs through Sept. 30, helps residents purchase an air conditioning unit or fan or pay for central air conditioning repairs. It assists low-income households with an older household member (60 years or older), or households that can provide physician documentation that cooling assistance is needed for a household member's health.

Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) currently serves over 3,000 youth in foster care and provides assistance to an additional 3,000 youth. The 2020 Fill the Backpack Challenge aims to help them feel prepared and ready to learn.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark civil rights law opened the doors of opportunity for people with disabilities and increased our awareness of the enormous contributions that Americans with disabilities can make to our society.

We all have the responsibility to continue to be educated on the symptoms that cause elder abuse, learn how to recognize it, and be determined to stop it. The first step in combating elder abuse is to report it.