Xavier had been separated from so many people- first from his parents at age nine and then from his two brothers as they were moved from placement to placement. He had already lived in six different foster homes and attended three different schools. But even as a sixteen-year-old who desperately wanted permanency and family, he [...] Continue Reading
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have responded to over 1,000 CareLine calls, distributed 2,500 clothing items, finalized 10 adoptions, continued to place kids with relatives, advocated for foster children in schools, and trained dozens of foster parents. You won’t be surprised to learn that, over the past five months, we’ve seen our [...] Continue Reading
During the pandemic our Extreme Recruitment® program has finalized 10 adoptions/guardianships! One of the biggest challenges faced by foster care professionals has been delayed adoption timeframes due to cancelled and postponed court hearings and generally slower communication. Adoption/guardianship day is the most important date for many of our children who have lingered in foster care [...] Continue Reading
Acknowledging the systemic racism that hurts our kids and families is just the first step; injustice also demands action. Last week Coalition staff took 4-hours, an intentional block of time, to steward Diversity and Inclusion either personally or collectively with an activity of their choice. In a time of pain, anger, confusion, grief, and thirst [...] Continue Reading
Download Missouri P-EBT Flyer Download Illinois P-EBT Flyer Get $250-302 for Each School-Age Child to Spend on Food Deadline for P-EBT: July 7 (Missouri) | July 15 (Illinois) The State of Missouri and Illinois have created P-EBT to support the unforeseen burden of buying more food when normally children may have been fed at schools. [...] Continue Reading
This week, our staff asked, “The Coalition turned on a dime for COVID-19, why haven’t we done the same for racism?” George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery were murdered, and yet the Coalition was silent on the many ways systemic racism manifests in the lives of our staff and families. We did the same [...] Continue Reading
In light of the most recent outcry for justice for the African American community, the Coalition recently shared with our foster and adoptive community this reflection on how to talk to your children about racism in these tragic times. Horrific events like the death of Mr. George Floyd force us to confront the ever-present racial [...] Continue Reading
The sole reason we are able to be innovative is because of the investments of forward-thinking, dedicated individuals that care about the welfare of our children. Today, we give tribute to John Kuntemeier, who passed away in February. John was a dedicated Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer who throughout his life was an advocate [...] Continue Reading
Seriously, please, please, please tell me I am not alone. That I have not gone completely off the deep end. That at least someone else is as confused, frustrated, morally-torn, and exhausted as I, trying to figure out where we are at with all of this? Triple this if you are parenting, Quadruple it if [...] Continue Reading
"That Discomfort You're Feeling is Grief" by Scott Berinato and published by the Harvard Business Review Link to article. As an introduction to next Thursday’s video, “Why Do I Want to Stop, Drop and Roll (into a Ball and Back Under the Covers?”), this article, suggested by a fellow foster parent, really lays the ground [...] Continue Reading
“Every kid needs a family. This, we know. We know it when we look at our own children and think about our dreams for them. We know it in our hearts, in our bones and from our own stories. Whether “family” means a mother and father, a single parent, a beloved aunt or uncle, a [...] Continue Reading
Howard (13) and Rondalynn (6) are siblings looking for their forever family. These siblings love to sing and dance in the car and often make up their own version to songs. Howard will sing a line to Rondalynn and she tries her best to keep up with him. To annoy her brother, Rondalynn often requests [...] Continue Reading
Cheyana describes herself as smart, strong, chill, and creative! Like any typical 18-year old, she loves to spend time with her friends or on her cell phone. Cheyana graduated high school in May and recently got her first job, which she is ecstatic about! Cheyana loves to express her creative side through doing her hair [...] Continue Reading
We know that the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be top of mind for many of you – just as it is for all of us here at Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. As a Coalition, we rely on all of you to carry out our mission. As such, we want to share our plan to [...] Continue Reading
Jahkaiya is affectionately called “Tweety” by those that know and love her. This ten year old is full of smiles and loves to give high fives! Especially if it’s her first time meeting you. She has a bright smile that will warm your heart. Jahkaiya is a dancer at heart. If there is music playing [...] Continue Reading
Eleven year old Lavon will quickly catch your heart with his sheepish smile and soft spoken demeanor. Don’t be fooled though, he is an active kid who you can expect to join a pick up soccer game at the park. Lavon loves all sports with his go to being soccer and football. He loves to [...] Continue Reading
Ashley is an outgoing and considerate 12-year-old girl. She is a social butterfly and can make anyone smile. Ashley is talkative and friendly and loves spending time with people. Ashley’s talents include gymnastics, swimming, and being a Netflix connoisseur. All family types will be considered for Ashley. Ashley is quite the people-person and envisions being [...] Continue Reading
Sophia is a kind, compassionate 15 year old hoping to fulfill her wish for a forever family. Sophia loves baking, cake decorating, and smoothie making. She enjoys watching YouTube videos to see how bakers create their towering cake masterpieces. She can tell you how to make cream cheese icing and is working on the perfect [...] Continue Reading
Amira is 7 years old and will quickly tell you she is the oldest between her and younger brother Amir, she is described as a social butterfly, with a bubbling personality, she loves being active, outdoors, gymnastics, swimming, very animated and expressive, give her a microphone with a platform! Amira loves school she catches on [...] Continue Reading
Late one winter night in 2008, 7-year-old Tarah* and 8-year-old Anthony came into foster care because their mom was addicted to heroin and struggled with mental illness. They were immediately split up and placed with strangers. Their caseworker was brand new. She tried to contact relatives but found fewer than 10. With no known father, [...] Continue Reading
“All you need is love” and “skin color doesn’t make a difference.” We hear these comments all the time in conversations about transracial parenting. While people say these with the best intentions, they can become a barrier to engaging in deeper thinking, self-evaluation, and conversations around the complexities of transracial families. These conversations can have [...] Continue Reading
Davonte is a fun, curious 12 year old who loves all things Basketball. He loves and is good with animals, especially dogs. Davonte likes to build things, and he is an easy child to have fun with. Davonte is always observing his surroundings, and although he can be reserved at times, he comes out of [...] Continue Reading
December 04, 2019 - St. Louis, Missouri - Ian Forber-Pratt, a Distinguished Alumnus from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a graduate from Principia College, and his team have received a grant from a private donor to formally launch the Institute for Child Welfare Innovation. The Institute is a spin-off 501c3 [...] Continue Reading
We were thrilled at the outpouring of interest in our last blog post: Why Traditional Parenting Fails Children with Trauma. In that post, our Director of Family Works, Anne Zink, discussed Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), the only evidence-informed therapy for children with complex trauma between the ages of 2-21. As Anne discussed in the last [...] Continue Reading
It’s not necessarily the sun shining through the windows that will brighten your mornings when Sean is in the house. It’s likely his smile, as he spends most of the day beaming! If you couple Sean’s silly sense of humor with his great grins, you’ve got an amazing young man who makes the dullest days [...] Continue Reading
Much of traditional day-to-day parenting assumes that the child feels safe at home and is able to trust their parent and their motives when they discipline them. They may not like the discipline but they never doubt the underlying security and unconditional love. This traditional parenting, based on social learning theory, assumes that children learn [...] Continue Reading
Del-Vyon is an extroverted 11-year-old who is always smiling! He’s always looking for ways to make you smile too, so he’s quick to bust a dance move or tell you a joke to capture your attention. Being smart, athletic, and full of curiosity are some of his best qualities. Del-Vyon likes playing football and basketball [...] Continue Reading
Issue Spotlight: Transition-Age Youth (TAY) in Foster Care Do you remember being 21 years old? Maybe you have memories of signing your first lease, going off to college, searching for jobs or trying to find yourself. Oh, a time of change and endless possibilities… and stress, confusion and the overwhelming feeling of “having no idea [...] Continue Reading
Time flies when you’re having fun! Camps, vacations, and pool days are winding down, and reality is slowly sinking in; it’s already time to prepare for the school year. We know this is often a tough season for foster, adoptive, and guardianship families. That’s why we do everything we can to make this transition seamless. […]
It had been a tough day for 16-year-old Marcie*. She had just learned that her brother was being adopted. She was glad for him, but couldn’t help but wonder when she would find her forever family, too. She missed him already. Edna, The Coalition’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiter, recognized that she needed a little extra [...] Continue Reading
Six year old Chance lights up every room that he walks into. He has a megawatt smile and sweet nature. He has brownish red hair and sparkling green eyes. He is cheerful, loves to help, and you will be his best friend the minute you meet him. He loves to do chores such as taking [...] Continue Reading
Hannah is an energetic and artistic 16-year-old. Her smile and joy light up the room when she walks in. Hannah’s dream day would include lunch at Taco Bell, spending time playing with and caring for animals, heading to the mall to go shopping for clothes, and dinner at Taco Bell (yes, you read that right). [...] Continue Reading
Find out how Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, winner of Council on Accreditation’s 2018 Innovative Practices Award, is leading the charge to create stability for kids in the chaotic world of foster care.
Final projects turned in, desks cleaned out, and the classroom doors are closed … summer has arrived! For many families, there is much to anticipate: sleeping in, vacations, and camps. But for foster parents, it is often a season of uncertainty as the kids in their care adjust to a new daily routine, away from […]
It was a sea of smiles at Wells Fargo Advisors last month, as the Coalition welcomed longtime supporters to our 30 Years of Volunteers Luncheon. It felt more like a family reunion, bringing together extraordinary individuals and groups who have been committed to serving our most vulnerable kids for the last three decades. The room [...] Continue Reading
How many times have you heard the following? We don’t have enough foster parents. There aren’t enough qualified parents to care for our kids. There is a crisis-level shortage of available homes. If you live the child welfare life, we’d guess every day. But that’s not the full story. Those statements would lead you to [...] Continue Reading
Click here to download a pdf. “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional” Caring for children and youth who have survived severe and complicated trauma can be exhausting and finding peace among the chaos can be daunting. When we enter survival mode, we can lose perspective and situations can quickly spiral out of emotional control. WHAT […]
Part 3 of a 3-part blog series about The Coalition’s National Program Advisor, Ian Forber Pratt On July 11, 2018, Ian Forber-Pratt boarded a plane to St. Louis. Over the last 9 years, he’d been at the forefront of a movement to change the face of child welfare in India. Now he was headed back [...] Continue Reading
Part 2 of a 3-part blog series about The Coalition’s National Program Advisor, Ian Forber Pratt In a cluttered, sweltering government building in Rajasthan, India, Ian Forber Pratt stood sweating in the office of the Director of the Department of Child Rights (DCR). He had come to ask permission to do something unprecedented: create a [...] Continue Reading
Part 1 of a 3-part blog series about The Coalition’s National Program Advisor, Ian Forber Pratt Ian Forber-Pratt went to the courthouse in 2009 to begin his first case as an Extreme Recruiter. He entered the courtroom to the sound of screaming. Ian backed against the wall as Mallory*, age 14, was wheeled out of [...] Continue Reading
We sat down with Tess Gaeng, a recent “graduate” of our Dennis & Judy Jones Family Foundation Foster Care & Adoption Program, and mom to four-year-old Ayden. Why did you decide to foster? I always knew I wanted to be a parent, but I wasn’t sure that biological children was the way that would happen. [...] Continue Reading
Maliek was hospitalized after a terrible beating by his father. Lost to addiction, his mother was unable to care for him. 30 Days to Family® found that his maternal grandma wanted him. As a refugee from the Rwandan genocide, however, she didn’t have a good grasp of English. Family Court said that because grandma couldn’t […]
With his awesome sense of humor, Jason is a lot of fun to be around! An affectionate and friendly kid, Jason is a great conversationalist with an engaging personality. He is super enthusiastic and is always eager to help others. He takes pride in his strengths, and says he is loyal, creative, and puts others [...] Continue Reading
“What began as a handful of reform-minded dreamers is now a cutting-edge leader in policy and practice. 30 years in, our groundbreaking and data-driven work has created dramatic change in the lives of our region’s most vulnerable children.” In the late 1980s and early 90s, the United States was gripped by a drug epidemic. Cheap, […]
Joseph is an active and engaging 16 year old young man who has a huge heart! Joseph’s creativity is a great strength of his and often leads to masterpieces made with Legos. Like your typical teenage boy, Joseph also really enjoys playing video games, especially car racing games. Sometimes he also likes to relax and [...] Continue Reading
During the holidays, we are inundated with messages from a number of sources (movies, music, TV, social media, commercials) about how we should be feeling joyful, happy, and thankful. Surrounded by loving (and attractive) family, laughter, fancy food served at perfectly set tables and loads of expensive gifts, these images rarely reflect the truth for […]
Brandon is an active, kind, and friendly young man. This 13-year-old is a pleasure to be with and his smile will light up any room! By others, Brandon is described as talkative, social, and inquisitive. He describes himself as smart and funny; saying he likes to humor others with his jokes and stories. When he’s [...] Continue Reading
Colton has great big brown eyes and a smile that will light up a room! This 5-year-old cutie is naturally happy, curious, and loving to the people in his life. He is easy to smile, giggle, and make eye contact to show his preference and affection for those closest to him. His favorite things are being [...] Continue Reading
Serenity is a beautiful 15 year old who is ready for a family! She is a happy child, who likes to sing and dance. Serenity loves all things girly. She enjoys doing her makeup, getting her hair and nails done, and anything regarding fashion. Serenity is very bright. She does well in school overall but [...] Continue Reading
Kejuan is a 15-year-old young man who loves sports. He enjoys watching and playing any type of sport, but specifically has a strong love for basketball. He could tell you anything you’d want to know about it and lights up when discussing his favorite teams, players, and their performance statistics. Kejuan is in the 10th grade [...] Continue Reading
