Why does the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) exist?
The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has been around for a long time-nearly 90 years. It all started when President Teddy Roosevelt held the first White House meeting on children in 1909. The meeting was attended by a number of child and family-serving agencies that cared about kids, especially those who were forced to work in factories at very low wages just to support their families. Many kids at that time were also orphaned because of poor health conditions in the U.S. early in the century. That’s why in 1920 a group of 68 agencies got together and established CWLA. What makes CWLA unique? Over the years, CWLA has championed legislation and services that protect children from harm. Today, CWLA has 800 agencies in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. CWLA and its member agencies work on issues such as adoption, foster care, childcare, homelessness, drug abuse, and mental health. But most of all, CWLA member agencies work really hard everyday to keep children saf
