Abbe Hensley

A lack of affordable, high-quality child care leads to worse outcomes for everyone in a family.

OPINION: Alaska needs to bring child abuse out of the shadows to heal victims, build resilience in families and keep our kids safe.

OPINION: We can lend a hand to Alaska parents struggling with stress and prevent the abuse and neglect of Alaska's children.

OPINION: Abbe Hensley, Matt Hirschfeld and Stephanie Monahan have a simple message for parents: Read to your children from day one.

What do the Moose Pass Sportsman's Club, the Lower Yukon School District, Juneau's Bartlett Hospital and volunteers with Imagination Library all have in common? Answer: Every one of this disparate group -- and many others -- is hosting a premiere of Best Beginnings' "Babies on Track" during the premiere "week" of Feb. 25 through March 4.

There's a small revolution going on in Alaska right now, one that just may usher in a different way of thinking about and meeting the needs of young children. In a new take on the old maxim, "think global, act local," a network of local partnerships is emerging to tackle early childhood issues on the ground.

On May 7, a Daily News article delivered some bleak news about Alaska education. The subhead said it all: Rates for high school dropouts, college completion among worst (in the nation). The article reported that Alaska ranks at or near the bottom in high school graduation rates, percentage of high school seniors going directly to college, and rates of college completion.