Tamiea is a funny and outgoing 14-year-old girl who enjoys playing with dogs, going on walks, cooking, swimming, and doing her makeup. Her favorite subject in school is art class because she enjoys making arts and crafts. An ideal weekend for Tamiea would include going out to eat and doing a fun activity like visiting a museum, shopping, hiking, or watching a scary movie. She also loves spending time with animals. Tamiea and her Child Specific Recruiter, Hayley, often visit the Humane Society as part of their monthly visits. “She loves petting cats and dogs and giving them treats,” says Hayley ..read more

  November 18th is a special day in Sam’s life. It’s the anniversary of the day his adoption by his parents, Steve and Kelly, became legal. It’s why he chose the same date in 2023 to host his senior project for Spectrum High School: a fundraising breakfast benefiting Children’s Home Society of Minnesota, the organization that facilitated his adoption. Sam hoped to raise $200 for Children’s Home by selling tickets to the breakfast and raffle tickets. The final take of $1,400 blew him away. “People were very generous!” said Sam. “Even better, a donor matched the funds dollar-for-dollar, so ..read more

When Ryan and Brittany decided to grow their family through Children’s Home’s Foster Care Adoption program, they were both excited and nervous. Brittany, with a background in social work, brought a unique perspective; both she and her husband were acutely aware of the challenges ahead. “We have friends who went through adopting from foster care with their 13-year-old,” said Ryan. “It really opened our eyes to the need for teens to find permanent homes. We were inspired by that and thought this was the right path for us.” The couple attended trainings offered by Children’s Home to prepare them ..read more

JJ is a goofy, kind, and loving six-year-old who enjoys reading, watching funny videos on his tablet, going to the park, dancing, and being around people who love him. An ideal day for JJ would start out with a warm bowl of oatmeal (one of his favorite foods), followed by a trip to the park. In the afternoon, he would like to return home to play with his favorite toys and watch a movie with his family. JJ would do best in a two-parent household located in the Twin Cities Metro. Ideally, his future caregivers would have experience caring for a child with high needs. JJ faces many medical challe ..read more

“During Black History Month, communities across the country commemorate the history of people of African descent in America and pay tribute to the many achievements of Black men and women. But perhaps the most important community members to get involved in this annual celebration? Our children,” Christine Michel Carter writes on parents.com. With beautiful illustrations and inspiring stories, here are eight of our favorite books that celebrate, honor, and center stories of Black children (and adults) who are following their dreams, making important contributions to society, and fighting for so ..read more

Most of us have spent 2023 grumbling about the rising costs of groceries while watching current events that impact our daily lives and family budgets. While we all hope for a leveling out of inflation rates in the coming months, many are turning their thoughts to filing taxes. It’s hard to believe it’s time to talk taxes already! If you recently adopted a child (or several!), you are likely interested in maximizing the Adoption Tax Credit before you file your 2023 personal taxes. The Adoption Tax Credit for 2023 is $15,950 per child. The Adoption Tax Credit is NOT refundable, which means you c ..read more

Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is looking for feedback from members of the community with personal experience in Minnesota’s adoption system. Considering the upcoming changes around access to original birth records, DHS is hoping to hear from those with lived experience in the adoption system around access to adoption records. We will be looking to talk with adopted individuals, adoptive parents and kinship caregivers, birth parents and other relatives through various listening sessions during the months of January and February. We hope to better understand the experience of indi ..read more

Raising your child and navigating an open adoption can be challenging on the best of days. When you add the layers of holiday traditions, sensory overwhelm, or triggering memories to the mix, even the most ardent supporters of open adoption will testify to the potential for messiness. How do you handle your family’s open adoption and all its complexity during the holidays? You Are Not Alone Every year, we field questions related to the challenges of the holiday season and maintaining healthy relationships in open adoption. The questions range: How to handle gift-giving from birth families Who ..read more

Whether you are fostering a child through the child welfare system or helping raise the child of a loved one through a kinship care arrangement, it’s almost always in the child’s best interest when the adults can cooperate and get along. The benefits of resource parents and kinship caregivers working collaboratively with birth parents include stability, continuity, and safety for the child. As we enter the holiday season, many foster parents and kinship providers feel anything but merry and bright about the challenges of working with birth parents while providing nurture and care for their chi ..read more

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, family togetherness, and celebration. For those who are parenting kids who have experienced trauma or loss, we know that this season can also be quite stressful to navigate. What are the practical things you can do to help your family enjoy the holiday season with kids who have experienced trauma? Why Does Your Child Struggle During the Holidays? Many factors contribute to the stress and anxiety that our adoptive and foster kids can feel at this time of year. In addition to the typical anticipation and hyped-up atmosphere that our kids experience ..read more