As West Michigan Partnership for Children’s newest team member, Kristina Prince is thankful to make an impact on Kent County’s foster care system as the organization’s data coordinator.
In her new role, Kristina will help relieve the workload of WMPC’s partner agency’s case managers so they can focus on direct service to children and families. Kristina will process financial information related to case services in WMPC’s financial database and provide technical assistance to our partners around entering case information into the state’s child welfare data management system.
Kristina has four years of industry experience at Catholic Charities West Michigan, one of WMPC’s partner organizations, supporting their Families First programming that strengthens families in Kent County with the goal of preventing entry into the child welfare system.
Continue reading to learn more about Kristina:
What is your role at WMPC? What are your responsibilities in this role?
My responsibilities as WMPC’s Data Coordinator include assisting the chief financial analyst and chief financial officer in generating weekly reports, maintaining database information, assisting agency partners, and processing manual payments within different operating systems.
As a brand new startup, what inspired you to want to work for WMPC?
What inspired me to work for WMPC is the innovation that WMPC brings to the foster care industry. I love that I get to help find new ways to make the foster care system even better and help children receive more of the services to meet their individual needs.
What is one thing you wish people knew about foster care?
One thing I wish people knew about foster care is that everything is done with the children’s best interest in mind. Removing children from their home and placing them in foster care is a difficult decision. Programs have been created to assist families in keeping children with their parents. Foster care and foster care programs ensure our foster children are in the safest environments that allow them to thrive.
Has working in the nonprofit industry opened your eyes to items that you were unaware of prior to working in the industry? If so, please explain.
One thing I learned from working in the nonprofit industry is that every penny counts, so organizations have to utilize their funding as best as possible. Through my industry experience, I realized the importance of effectively budgeting and allocating funds.
What is your hope for WMPC and the Kent County foster care system?
I hope for growth for both WMPC and Kent County foster care. I truly believe WMPC’s unique programs and initiatives are going to do great things for Kent County’s foster care system.
To get in touch with Kristina, please email: [email protected]