Public education, safe neighborhoods and opportunities for young people all begin with one common investment, according to State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw: strengthening families.

Speaking during Houston Community Media’s final “Who Cares About Our Youth?” briefing, Morales Shaw outlined a vision that connected education, juvenile justice, workforce development and community support, arguing that lasting change starts long before children encounter major challenges.

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One of the greatest concerns she hears from parents, teachers and school administrators, she said, is the growing gap between expectations placed on public schools and the resources available to meet them.

Morales Shaw pointed to school closures, reductions in after-school programs, pre-kindergarten and tutoring, increased standardized testing requirements and diminished support for special education and dual-language programs.

“They’re getting squashed between responsibility and support,” Morales Shaw said. “The responsibilities and burdens right now are much greater than the support they’re finding.”

She said investing in schools means more than funding classrooms.

Counselors, nurses, extracurricular activities and other wraparound services provide critical support for students whose challenges often extend beyond academics.

“When you’re spending six to eight hours a day in an institution, you want it to bring value to your child,” she said. “You want it to enhance their abilities and address the shortcomings they may need to get to an equal playing field.”

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Throughout the discussion, Morales Shaw returned repeatedly to one central theme: healthy communities begin with healthy families.

“The family is the basis of society,” she said. “Our youth are one of the most important things that we can invest in because that investment yields results in every system across the spectrum.”

Drawing from her own experience raising four children while balancing a legal career and public service, Morales Shaw said that perspective has shaped her legislative priorities, including proposals supporting paid family leave and working families.

“When you talk about the family, you have to look at bigger picture things like wages, worker safety and foster care,” she said. “Government should be looking at how to strengthen the family unit.”

Morales Shaw also discussed juvenile justice, expressing concern that children are sometimes introduced to the criminal justice system before meaningful interventions have an opportunity to work.

She referenced previous legislation aimed at raising the minimum age at which children can be handcuffed and arrested on school campuses.

“If you’re allowing a 10-year-old to be handcuffed on school grounds and be put into a punitive system, that’s already a wrong turn,” she said.

Rather than waiting until violence, mental health concerns or academic struggles emerge, Morales Shaw said Texas should invest earlier by providing children with the support they need before problems escalate.

She also addressed questions surrounding the impact of federal immigration policies on Texas families, emphasizing the importance of ensuring immigrant communities understand how policy decisions may affect their daily lives.

Before concluding the briefing, Morales Shaw reflected on the important relationship between elected officials and community journalism.

“I think it’s a two-way road,” she said. “We need you to tell us what families are experiencing.”

She added that lawmakers also have a responsibility to keep journalists informed about policy decisions affecting local communities.

“We need to keep you informed about these kinds of things that are quietly happening in the background, but very loudly impacting immigrant families,” Morales Shaw said.

As Houston Community Media concluded its three-part “Who Cares About Our Youth?” series, Morales Shaw left attendees with a message that resonated throughout the discussion: investing in children requires investing in the families, schools and neighborhoods that help them succeed.