Foster parents should be prepared for challenging behavior when they decide to open their home to vulnerable children. But once you’ve gone forward with the decision and you find yourself in a situation beyond your control, what do you do? Who can you turn to? What are your options? Here’s how you know when your […]
The entire family is at the dinner table enjoying a meal. Your foster teen has her cell phone but leaves it by mistake when she goes to the bathroom. The phone isn’t on silent and text messages continue to come. You don’t want to violate her privacy, but you feel the need to silence it. […]
For a foster child, pets can be a cornerstone of emotional health, sharers of unconditional friendship and a constant presence in a world that seems to be changing all the time. But they can also become the object of a foster child’s pent-up frustration and suppressed trauma. Knowing whether a pet, like a dog or […]
Foster teens have memories that are full of experiences they’ll never forget. A long summer day, a tried and true friendship or a first crush will always stand out among them. But recollections of abuse and neglect, unfamiliar placements, unreciprocated love and the strong social pressure to hide the past might stand out even more. […]
No matter how long ago it may have been, childhood is a time that leaves a mark on the present. Many of us can remember the fond moments vividly – those carefree years between the ages of 4 and 12 when we enjoyed a long summer vacation, a thrilling snow day or a spooky Halloween […]
Every baby born into the world represents another chance to improve upon the past and feel hopeful about the future. But it takes years of work from a patient, strong-willed and dedicated parent to help a baby become a healthy child. You can be that parent for thousands of babies across the state. Fostering babies […]
With Pride Month coming to a close and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality, June has been a historically important month to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex (LGBTQIA) community. Pride month serves as an annual chance to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have had […]
The U.S. has just 5 percent of the world’s population but 25 percent of its incarcerated population. The alarming rate of incarceration in the U.S. is a hot button issue, with stories appearing everywhere from the New York Times to CNN. However, there’s a large group of blameless victims often forgot about in this discussion: […]
Too often, we hear stories of children who fall victim to abuse or neglect. In the United States alone, there is an estimated number of over 400,000 youth in foster care. Fortunately, there are many people who work together for a common goal – enhancing the lives of kids in the foster care system. We […]
In 1963, the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the nation in what is considered a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement. The yearning for equality prompted many to attend the March on Washington, and at that moment everyone’s passion for change was further ignited as Dr. King addressed the nation with his […]