Children Deserve Stability. But They Also Deserve Childhood.

Those needs are critical, and at Voices we work every day to help ensure children have access to them.

But childhood is about more than survival.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned throughout my career is that children need more than the basics. They need opportunities to explore, dream, build confidence, discover new interests, and create positive memories. They need opportunities to experience joy.

Yet these experiences are often viewed as extras.

When resources are limited and needs are great, experiences are often the first thing to fall off the list. The focus understandably shifts to what is urgent, what is necessary, and what must be addressed today.

But I would argue that experiences matter, too.

Not because a fishing trip solves the challenges children face.

Not because a day on the water changes the realities of foster care.

But because these moments help children remember that they are more than the circumstances that brought them into the system.

Children in foster care spend much of their lives navigating court hearings, case plans, appointments, placement changes, and decisions made by adults. They are often viewed through the lens of trauma, challenges, and unmet needs.

For a few hours on that boat, none of that was the focus.

They weren’t being discussed in a courtroom.

They weren’t being evaluated.

They weren’t being defined by their circumstances.

They were simply kids.

Kids laughing together.

Kids cheering each other on.

Kids proudly holding up their catch.

Kids experiencing the excitement of trying something new.

What struck me most was how engaged they were. For four hours, they were completely present. No one was focused on a device. No one was sitting off to the side. They were immersed in the experience, encouraging one another, celebrating every catch, and eagerly waiting to see what might happen next.

They weren’t watching someone else’s adventure.

They were living their own.

At one point, I reeled in a large amberjack, and the excitement from the children was contagious. They gathered around, cheering, watching, and celebrating the moment together. It had very little to do with the fish itself and everything to do with the shared experience, the excitement, and the memory being created.

That is what I wish more people understood about programs like Dream BIG Days.

Every day, those of us working in child welfare are thinking about what comes next for the children we serve. We are working to address immediate needs, identify gaps, and help children navigate a system that is complex and often imperfect.

We know there are challenges a fishing trip cannot solve.

We know there are questions that remain unanswered.

We know that for many children, the road ahead is still uncertain.

But we also know that childhood cannot be put on hold while those challenges are being addressed.

Sometimes, the most meaningful thing we can do is create space for a child to be present, experience joy, try something new, and simply enjoy being a kid.

That is why these experiences matter.

Not because they solve every problem, but because they remind children that they matter, that they are seen, and that they deserve moments of happiness and belonging along the way.

While we continue working to meet immediate needs and fill the gaps that exist within the child welfare system, we will also keep creating opportunities for children to experience joy, build confidence, and simply be kids.

Because children deserve stability, but they also deserve childhood.

Through our programs, we work every day to ensure they have both.