1. Foster care provides a temporary, safe, and nurturing home for children who cannot remain with their biological families due to a variety of challenging circumstances. These may include abuse, neglect, parental substance abuse, mental health issues, incarceration, homelessness, or other situations that compromise the child’s safety and well-being. In some cases, families may be experiencing a crisis or instability that prevents them from providing proper care at the time.

Foster parents step in to offer children stability and support during these difficult times. They provide not only shelter and basic needs, but also emotional care, encouragement, and a sense of normalcy while the child’s long-term plan—whether reunification, adoption, or another permanent solution—is determined.

There are several types of foster care designed to meet the diverse needs of children and families:

1. Kinship Care: Placement with relatives or close family friends, helping maintain important connections and familiarity for the child.
2. Traditional Foster Care: Children are placed with licensed foster parents who are not related to them but offer a stable, caring environment.
3. Therapeutic or Treatment Foster Care: Designed for children with emotional, behavioral, or medical needs. Foster parents receive specialized training to provide extra structure and support.
4. Emergency Foster Care: Short-term care for children who need immediate placement due to urgent safety concerns.
5. Respite Care: Temporary, short-term care gives full-time caregivers a brief break, often used to prevent burnout or support foster families during emergencies.
6. Pre-Adoptive Foster Care: Placement with families who are open to adoption, often serving as a transitional step toward a permanent home.

Foster parents are trained, licensed individuals, whether married or single, who commit to helping children heal, grow, and thrive. They work closely with child welfare professionals to meet the unique needs of each child and advocate for their best interests every step of the way.

1. Foster parents provide a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for children. They work with agencies to support reunification with the child’s birth family or help establish other long-term plans like adoption.

1. Most agencies accept single individuals, married couples, or partners living together, provided they meet age requirements, pass background checks, and demonstrate financial stability. Renting is acceptable as long as the home is safe and has enough space. You can work full-time and still foster, though flexibility or extra childcare resources may be needed.

1. Foster parents must complete pre-service training on trauma-informed care, child development, and the foster care system, which is provided by our agency. It’s also important to prepare your family by discussing the responsibilities and emotional aspects of fostering.

1. Yes, you can share your preferences for age, gender, and other considerations like cultural or religious background. Being open to a wider range of placements can increase your chances of fostering sooner.

1. Placements vary widely, from a few days to several years. This is based on the child’s needs and family situation.

1. Placements vary widely, from a few days to several years. This is based on the child’s needs and family situation.

1. Yes. If parents’ rights are discontinued, foster parents are often allowed to adopt.

Support includes caseworker guidance, provided training, respite care, community resources, and reimbursement to cover basic needs like food, clothing, and transportation. Payments are made monthly utilizing a “level system” established by the state.  This system includes a component called the level of care, which establishes higher payment rates for children who require a higher level of care.

1. Attachment is natural and even encouraged. Foster parenting is about helping children heal, knowing your love may be a pathway to their forever home, whether with you or their birth family.

Aside from the licensing requirements and the ability to meet the child’s basic needs, the most essential qualifications to be a foster parent are interpersonal in nature. Being an effective foster parent requires tremendous patience, empathy and flexibility. Understanding of trauma and healthy child development is also beneficial, but not required.

The timeline for becoming a foster parent varies depending how quickly your return all of the required documents but can be as quickly as 90 days.

We offer all required training to become a foster parent as well as ongoing training.

Payments are made monthly utilizing a “level system” established by the state.  This system includes a component called the level of care which establishes higher payment rates for children who require a higher level of care.