My name is Dominique Macias and I am a senior at BASIS Tucson North. For my Senior Research Project, I will be extending my volunteering hours at Casa de los Niños, a non-profit organization that promotes family stability and child well-being. I volunteer at the temporary shelter, where I help take care of children between the ages of 1 and 4. I aim to provide these children with as much individualized attention as possible, something that they severely lack. As I observe these children growing up, I will independently research the developmental effects of abuse and neglect and the child welfare system in place protecting the children. I will try to recognize the measures that we can take to improve the flawed child welfare system and the ways in which we can end the cycle of abuse.