Blog
Kinship Care Month | Darius’s Story
Author: Norah Okilee Christy, the eldest of three siblings, has a twin sister named Jenna and a younger brother named Michael. When they were young, they were placed under the care of their paternal grandmother due to their mother's substance dependency. However, when Christy was 13, their grandmother passed away, leaving no plan for their [...]
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Kinship Care Month | Ashley’s Story
Author: Ginette Rhodes Jennifer, a 30-year-old woman with a heart of gold, serves as the primary caregiver for her father, who has become immobile due to a stroke. Despite dedicating a significant part of her day to her father's care, she made a life-altering decision in July of 2022. Upon learning that her 16-year-old niece, [...]
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Celebrating a Milestone: A Place to Call Home’s 500th Forever Family!
Author: Ginette Rhodes In the world of television, where stories often come and go, there are exceptional programs that leave an undeniable mark on our hearts and communities. For over 21 incredible years, KSDK 5 On Your Side's ‘A Place to Call Home’ segment has been a source of hope for local children. With each [...]
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Kinship Care Month | April’s Story
Author: Ginette Rhodes Grandparents Louis and David share a unique, enduring bond with their granddaughter, April. Since her toddler years, they cherished precious moments with her. However, their relationship faced challenges due to April's biological mother/their daughter's worsening mental health. Over time, it became clear that April's safety was at risk in her mother's care. [...]
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A Parent Guide to Demystifying Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
Author: Ginette Rhodes Every human mind is uniquely different. People come in many shapes and sizes with equally different ways of thinking and brain functionality. One of the key goals of the term neurodiversity is to remove the negative stigma surrounding varied brain functionality. This approach provides a framework for recognizing and embracing the unique [...]
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National Exercise With Your Child Week (August 6-12)
Author: Ginette Rhodes This week we are celebrating family fitness! Working out as a family helps establish lifelong habits and promotes family bonding! Not only does it bring you closer together, but it also encourages healthy habits for both you and your child. Remember to check in with the Coalition daily to discover a new [...]
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Achieving Success: Your Guide to an Amazing School Year!
Author: Ginette Rhodes The age-old expression, "time flies when you're having fun," couldn't be truer as summer gradually comes to a close and the countdown to the school year begins. Summer walks in the park, amidst blooming flowers and freshly clipped grass, sun-soaked evenings spent on family vacations, and the sheer bliss of sleeping in [...]
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Embracing Inclusive and Affirming Care For LGBTQIA+ Youth in Foster Care
Author: Ginette Rhodes If you are thinking about or have already become a foster or adoptive parent, it's important to understand the landscape of foster and adoptive care is more diverse than ever. In fact, one in three youth identify as LGBTQIA+ in foster care compared to 10% of the general population. It's probable your [...]
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Bites at The Big Top: A Night to Remember
Author: Ginette Rhodes Bites at The Big Top was easily one of the top food festivals in St. Louis this year! The air was thick with excitement as guests arrived at The Big Top early for the first Bites at The Big Top fundraiser hosted by the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition. Their outfits dazzled, [...]
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Remember to Go Outside and Play in Celebration of Earth Day
Author: Ginette Rhodes Let's take a moment to celebrate Earth Day by feeling the grass beneath our feet and the warmth of the sun on our faces! Spending time in nature can benefit children's physical and mental well-being while enhancing social skills. Encourage your children to explore and appreciate their environment by providing access to [...]
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Guide to Bites at The Big Top: Everything You Need to Know
About Bites at The Big Top 5 Ways to Support Bites at The Big Top Purchase tickets to attend Bites at The Big Top. Share our social media posts, forward our emails, and tell your friends about us. Become a partner. Are you a restaurant owner, mixologist, or brewer? Reach out to Felisha Smith to [...]
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4 Ways You Can Support Children in Foster Care Without Becoming a Foster Parent
While becoming a licensed foster parent may be the most apparent way to benefit children in foster care, there are several other ways to make a direct impact on the lives of children in care. Whether you’re giving time, money, or material support, the effort you put forth for children in foster care is always [...]
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Guide to Little Wishes
What is Little Wishes? Little Wishes is the most magical time of the year here at the Coalition! Through our longstanding partnership with KSDK 5 On Your Side, we provide thousands of gifts each year to children impacted by foster care. Since 2005, donors have ensured every child who has spent time in foster care [...]
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Guide to Foster Hope Day: Everything You Need to Know
About Foster Hope Day 4 Steps to Foster Hope Day Donate and enter to win one of our incredible raffle prizes. Share our social media posts, forward our emails and tell your friends about us. We'll be live throughout the day on Facebook (Miss anything? Don't worry, videos will also be posted on the Charidy [...]
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Kinship Care: The Hidden Heroes of Child Welfare
Kinship care refers to the care of children by relatives or close family friends. There are two main aspects of kinship care. “Relative kinship” care refers to the child being cared for by a relative. However, the term "kin" encompasses this and “fictive kinship”, which refers to all non-relatives. This kind of kinship care [...]
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Adult Adoption: An Overlooked Path to Permanence
Over 23,000 children age out of the foster care system each year. Children who age out of foster care are removed from their foster homes to live independently upon their 18th, 19th, 20th, or 21st birthday (the age at which one ages out depends on the State and foster home). Once they age out, many [...]
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The Coalition’s Summer Fun Guide
Happy Summer! 🌞 The Coalition's got you covered if you are looking for fun ideas to make the most out of this summer with your family! We have compiled a list of fun summer activities, including pools, festivals, and learning opportunities, for you and your kids. Free and low-cost options are included as well as [...]
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A Record-Breaking Spring Event Season
This spring was our first in-person event season since 2020—the most successful ever in Coalition history. And while the dollars raised and new supporters are incredible, the real story is the impact your investment will have on kids who have spent time in foster care. This year our Give STL Day goal was $250,000—our largest [...]
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Family Fun at the St. Louis Aquarium
After two long years, we held our first family event in person! Earlier this year, we received a generous donation of 300 free tickets from the Aquarium Foundation for our foster, adoptive, and guardianship families. We sent out the invite to our families and sold out within minutes. On April 3rd, we got the chance […]
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The Coalition RESPONDs to the Need for African American Foster Parents
"African Americans adopt more than anyone, we just do it informally. It is a part of our history and culture." Our local community is in desperate need of more African American foster parents. Why? Racial disproportionality is a pervasive issue in child welfare. In St. Louis alone, African American children represent nearly 70% of kids [...]
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The Cinderella Project in 2022
2022 is the second year in a row that the Cinderella Project has been scaled down because of the COVID pandemic. During this time, we have not been able to provide girls with the full Cinderella experience, but our dedicated ReFresh team has found creative solutions for girls to still receive the prom gowns of [...]
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Celebrating Black History Month
Each February, National Black History Month serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America — our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations. In honor of Black History Month 2022, we’re [...]
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Let Go Your Ego: A Barrier for Child Welfare Workers
By Dr. Karen Alyasiry, Family Development Specialist, Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition Child Welfare is a multi-faceted system of agencies working to improve the efficiency of permanency for youth that enter alternative care. The Missouri Department of Social Services has reported 14,221 children in the foster care system as of November 2021 (dss.mo.gov, n.d.). The [...]
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Creating the Most Innovative Foster Care and Adoption Community in Our Country
Link to flyer. The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition held a series of “town hall” meetings with hundreds of local child welfare community members after learning that the State of Missouri is making a $5 million investment to expand foster care and adoption services. These conversations helped the Coalition form a bold vision for changing [...]
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The Holidays in Foster Care – Top 5 Tips
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 [...]
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30 Days to Family®: Royce’s Story
Royce entered foster care after allegations of domestic violence were filed against his maternal great-grandfather who was his primary caregiver. He had lived with his great-grandparents since losing both of his parents. Entering foster care added yet another layer of trauma and hurt to this 11-year-old boy who had already lived through difficult hardships. Upon [...]
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2,531 Days in Foster Care: Colton’s Story
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the powerful work of our Extreme Recruitment® program, and what better way to do it than through one of our wonderful adoption stories?! In the spring of 2021, Colton was finally adopted into his forever family. But this was not [...]
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Celebrating National Kinship Care Month
Kinship care refers to the care of children by relatives or, in some jurisdictions, close family friends. During the month of September (and every month) we celebrate these amazing families! In honor of Kinship Care Month, we thought we could share a few of our family stories. Check out our previous blog post for more [...]
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Celebrating National Kinship Care Month
September is National Kinship Care Month. During this month our nation highlights what our Coalition Families United program celebrates every day: the commitment and love our relatives and kinship families provide to children in foster care. To celebrate we thought we could share a few of our amazing family stories. Stay tuned, as we will [...]
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Press Release: Governor Parson Signs Historic Investment for Foster Care Support Services
Click here to download this press release as a PDF. ST. LOUIS, MO - July 29, 2021 - The State of Missouri made a historic investment on behalf of children in foster care when Governor Mike Parson signed the social services portion of the FY 2022 budget on July 1, 2021. $90 million in new [...]
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A Child’s Journey Through Foster Care
Have you ever wondered what happens to a child after entering foster care? Because every child has a right to privacy, foster care is invisible by design. But that also means the system is often unaccountable and, to most people, completely unknown. When the state removes a child from their home due to alleged abuse [...]
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Debunking Foster Care Myths
Right now, there are around 4,500 kids in St. Louis foster care and 400,000 kids in foster care in the United States. Quality foster homes are always needed to care for our community’s most vulnerable children. While there are incredible individuals ready to help, many more folks would like to become licensed foster parents. Still, [...]
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Give STL Day 2021
There Has Never Been a Better Time To Support Our Kids www.givestlday.org/fosteradopt Give STL Day is Thursday, May 6th (add to your calendar), and the Coalition has set a goal of $180,000. That’s an ambitious goal, but there has never been a better time to support our kids. Why? We learned from the pandemic that [...]
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Standout Volunteers of the Year
On April 7th, 2021 the Coalition was thrilled to thank some of our extraordinary volunteers for their wonderful contributions to our mission. Because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, we had to get creative. We were elated that volunteers could attend our socially-distanced Appreciation Luncheon. We wanted to give volunteers a safe and superior experience! Lunch [...]
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Your Give STL Day Investment Last Year Allowed Us To Change 2020 From a Threat to an Opportunity
Join us for Give STL Day 2021 on May 6. Your investment on Give STL Day last year allowed us to change 2020 from a threat to an opportunity. Rather than widespread instability and further trauma, our families experienced unparalleled support. Your support over the years made that possible. The Coalition had the luxury of [...]
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“What Inspired You To Work With Youth in Foster Care?” 14 Staff Members Share Their Stories
To commemorate social work appreciation month, we turned the spotlight to the real engine of change at the Coalition: our program staff. We interviewed 14 of them so they could share their journey in the child welfare field – what inspired them to do this work, some of their favorite aspects, words of wisdom for [...]
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COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Foster, Adoptive & Guardianship Parents
All foster, adoptive, and guardianship parents who receive subsidy are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination starting Monday 3/15. As you may have heard, getting a vaccination appointment in St. Louis can be very difficult! Below is a guide to help you. Don’t wait to be contacted! You should pre-register at all the websites listed […]
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Family is Everything
This year we celebrate 10 years of our 30 Days to Family® program in the St. Louis area with a BIG milestone: 1,000 kids served! 30 Days to Family® helps place kids with relatives, significantly reducing their time in foster care and creating stable placements by weaving together a robust support system. This short intervention has […]
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10 Years, 1,000 Kids: The 30 Days to Family® Story
This year we celebrate 10 years of our 30 Days to Family® program in the St. Louis area with a BIG milestone: we will soon reach 1,000 kids served! 30 Days to Family® helps place kids with relatives, significantly reducing their time in foster care and creating stable placements by weaving together a robust support [...]
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The Holidays in Foster Care – Top 5 Tips
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 [...]
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After Five Years in the Foster Care System, Gianna Finally Feels Safe Enough to Heal
Gianna’s father, Joseph, was struggling with drug addiction when Gianna came into foster care at 11 years old. Her mother had passed away and Joseph was Gianna’s sole caregiver. As Gianna’s case progressed, her father was unable to overcome his struggle with substance use and a judge made Gianna available for adoption. Gianna suffered immense [...]
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An Educational Advocate’s Tips for Surviving Distance Learning
Mariah* spent 2 of her last 3 years in foster care bouncing in and out of residential facilities. When she transitioned to the residential facility, she had an IEP in place. The residential facility refused to hold the annual IEP meeting when the case manager requested it, so her IEP was over a year old [...]
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LGBT+ Youth in Foster Care: 7 Simple Actions You Can Take To Make Youth Feel Safe and Promote Acceptance
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 [...]
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Our Work Continues During the Pandemic
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 [...]
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10 Adoptions / Guardianships Finalized During the Pandemic
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 [...]
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Staff Day of Diversity & Inclusion Stewardship
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 [...]
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P-EBT Benefits: Get $250+ for Food for Children
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. [...]
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For Our Kids, Families, and Staff, Silence is Not an Option
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 [...]
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Talking to Your Children About Racism
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 [...]
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A Tribute to John Kuntemeier, Tenacious Advocate for Children in St. Louis
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 [...]
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Does Anyone Out There Have Any Idea What We Should Be Doing Right Now?
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 [...]
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Recommended Reading: That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief
"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 [...]
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Family: A Child’s Most Basic Need
“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 [...]
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A Special Message to Our Community
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 [...]
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Extreme Recruitment®: Tarah’s Story
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, [...]
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Celebrating Diversity: Coalition Hosts Training On Transracial Parenting
“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 [...]
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Institute for Child Welfare Innovation Launched in St. Louis with $1.4 Million Grant
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 [...]
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Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy: Building Trust in Our Relationships with Children
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 [...]
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Why Traditional Parenting Fails Children with Trauma
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 [...]
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Every Year 20,000 Youth Age Out of Foster Care with Little Support
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 [...]
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Back to School: The Road to Success
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. […]
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ReFresh: Not Your Typical Resale Store
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 [...]
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30 Days to Family®: Hear from the 2018 Innovative Practices Award Winner
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.
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School’s Out for the Summer … Make the Most of Your Break
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 […]
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30 Years of Volunteers
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 [...]
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The Real “Crisis” in Foster Care
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 [...]
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Radical Acceptance
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 […]
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Ian’s Story: Imagine Something More
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 [...]
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Ian’s Story: Overcoming the Odds
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 [...]
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Ian’s Story: Standing in the Gap
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 [...]
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Tess & Ayden Gaeng
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. [...]
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Maliek #30Years30Stories
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 […]
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Our Story
“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, […]
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The Holidays in Foster Care: Why Things Might Get Rough
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 […]
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