A Better Way Inc

09/08/2025

A new study found that using smartphones before age 13 could damage kids’ mental health

Using smartphones before age 13 could damage kids’ mental health, according to a new study based on self-reports in a survey of nearly 2 million people in 163 countries.

08/20/2025

“Anxiety feels like a bomb in my stomach and every second feels like a year and nothing makes it stop,” said one young woman. “Anxiety tastes like bad coffee on an empty stomach. Anxiety feels like something watching me sleep.”

08/19/2025

✨ From Foster Care to Future Leaders ✨
Every year, more than 4,000 young people in California age out of foster care. Too often, they face barriers to housing, jobs, and stability. Not because of who they are, but because systems have not given them the support they need.

That is why A Better Way is preparing to launch the Transitional Opportunities Project (TOP) next year. This 8-month program will help foster youth (ages 18–26) gain the training, mentorship, and career pathways they need to step into roles as mental health professionals, advocates, and leaders.

TOP will include hands-on training, resilience-building, mentorship from foster alumni, a $500 monthly stipend, and even a brand-new laptop.

We are excited to share this vision and plan to launch the pilot in 2026 with 24 participants. Read more on our blog: https://www.abetterwayinc.net/blog

A Better Way is launching a bold new program to help former foster youth build careers in the helping professions.

08/18/2025

Our Chief Program Officer shares what motivates him, the wins that matter most, and how flexible support can turn crisis into engagement.

Warner Graham has been with A Better Way (ABW) for almost six years. What drew him here, and what keeps him here, is simple: service with purpose. In this quick Q&A, he shares what motivates him, the wins that matter most, and how flexible support can turn crisis into engagement.

08/14/2025

Today, our SF Mental Health Program Director, Monica Dirr, represented A Better Way at the San Francisco Human Services Agency's Family and Children Services Providers’ Fair.

It was a warm and collaborative gathering of agencies that, like us, support children, youth and families in San Francisco. Monica connected with HSA administrators, protective services workers, and others who are on the front lines every day.

We’re grateful to stand alongside amazing partners like Alternative Family Services, Seneca Family of Agencies, San Francisco CASA, Family Support Services, and Support For Families Of Children With Disabilities — all working toward a brighter future for San Francisco’s kids. 💙

08/12/2025

This course will focus on the importance of developing self-care practices for youth in care through exploring the social-emotional competencies of self-awareness and self-management. We will define and examine self-care as a practice for health and well-being, and explore how our emotional vocabulary helps build our capacity to understand ourselves, appreciate the impermanence of feelings, and enhance self-care skills.

Through didactic, collaborative, and interactive learning, participants will explore why self-care is an essential practice for children/youth who have been traumatized, grieving, or distressed. Participants will learn how creative arts-based tools can foster self-compassion, deepen insight and connection with ourselves, and strengthen our mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

Learning Objectives
1) Define self-awareness and its connection to improved emotional regulation and increased self-care practices for youth in care.
2) Define self-management and its connection to improved emotional and physical regulation for system-involved youth.
3) Describe 3 benefits of using creative arts-based tools for youth in care to gain self-awareness and self-regulation skills.
4) Apply 2 simple arts-based strategies that teach self-discovery, self-compassion, and self-regulation to your work with youth in care.
5) Implement the use of 2 social-emotional learning creative strategies into existing systems-based programs.

Link to register: https://training.abetterwayinc.net/courses/7462
Developing Tools to Teach System-Involved Youth about Self Care
With Stacey Billups
Thursday, Augst 21st | 9:15a-12:15p

08/09/2025

We’re celebrating some true back-to-school heroes! 🎒📚

Thanks to the generosity of Fostering Wishes and Insperity, our dedicated staff is distributing hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies to children in A Better Way programs.

These backpacks are more than just supplies. They’re a boost of confidence, a fresh start, and a reminder that our community cares. 💛

Help us thank Fostering Wishes and Insperity in the comments below for making this possible!

08/07/2025

📱A simple hack for : Turn off your phone an hour or two before bedtime 😴

Avoiding phones, computers, and other devices before bed can help give your brain time to relax and unwind. Here's how a simple digital detox before bed transformed my sleep.

08/06/2025

📣 We’re proud to share some exciting news! The team at A Better Way has earned three important recognitions:

✅ Certification from The Joint Commission
✅ A 4-Star "Great" rating on Charity Navigator
✅ A Gold Seal of Transparency from Candid

These honors reflect the dedication and care our incredible staff brings to serving children, youth, and families every day — and the vision and integrity of our leadership teams and our board of directors.

We don’t strive for awards; we strive for excellence. For safety. For impact. For trust. These recognitions just confirm what we already know: our team is doing extraordinary work for those who need it most.

💛 Thank you to everyone who makes this possible.

08/04/2025

📣 Why don’t we recruit foster youth to college the way we recruit athletes?

Dr. Shanté Elliott argues for a future where every foster youth gets the structured support, visibility, and college pathways they deserve.

From campus visits to individualized recruitment strategies, we have the tools; we just need the will.

We need a system that treats college planning for foster youth with the same urgency, structure and coordination we afford to top athletes.

08/04/2025

🚗 Garrett just donated his used car to A Better Way — and it was so easy!
✅ Free towing
✅ Tax-deductible receipt
✅ Big impact for children, youth, and families
Cars, trucks, trailers, motorcycles — we take them all! And every donation helps fund vital services like mental health care, family strengthening, and parent advocacy.
👉 Ready to clear your driveway and do some good?
Visit: abetterwayinc.net/donate-a-used-car

Donate Your Used Car. It’s Easy!Calling all caped crusaders: Your car can be a vehicle for change. When you donate your used vehicle to A Better Way, you support the empowerment of children, youth and families. The proceeds fund critical services like parenting classes, mental health care for kids...

08/01/2025

Our team gives everything they’ve got to support children, youth, and families facing real challenges. That work takes heart, strength, and resilience.

That’s why gatherings like our Summer Jam are so important...a chance to connect and recharge.

🌭 Huge thanks to Shelby Graham and the HR Team for planning a joyful day, and to David, Sharon & Joe for stepping up to the grill! From great food to fun games, it was a well-earned celebration of the people who make our mission possible. 💙