By Susanti Sarkar Lauren Davis, a mother from North Carolina, first met Ayden when he was just 7 weeks old and had been transferred to a local hospital. She spent the next two months visiting him in the neonatal intensive care unit. She and her husband hoped to adopt the little boy whom Davis describes as “medically complex.” Ayden continued to have health battles as he grew older, including chronic lung disease, ​​a swallowing disorder that resulted in a feeding tube and six surgeries — procedures that would have cost the family thousands of dollars every month. In many states, Ayden’s medica ..read more

By Sara Tiano Jason and Cindy Nabb of Lincoln, Nebraska, were sitting around the dinner table with their six children when the call came through: two sisters, ages 3 years and 3 months, would be at their house in 45 minutes. The year was 2014 and, for the Nabbs, this would be the first two children in foster care they would welcome into their home. “They came [from their home] with nothing,” said Cindy Nabb. “I’d say they came with the clothes on their back, but the 3-month-old was in just a diaper.” But before they even stepped foot in the Nabbs’ home, the caseworkers had made a stop at a loc ..read more

By Sara Tiano When Mya Zavaleta was growing up in her Connecticut adoptive home, she turned to the night sky to feel a sense of closeness with her birth family thousands of miles away. “Even though we’re not together, we could be looking up at the same stars and the same moon,” she said. “It’s something so small, but really powerful.” Born into poverty and civil war in El Salvador, Zavaleta is among thousands of children called “deseparacidos” — the disappeared — who were separated from their families as a result of the war. Zavaleta’s mother left her and her seven siblings, splitting them up ..read more

By Dionne Joseph Eyal Dagan and Chris Poore’s children are thriving. Seven-year-old Sam just competed in his second golf tournament, while his 6-year-old sister Bella is busy exploring her passions of fashion, art and dance. Both children were adopted by the couple and as with any family, they’ve had their ups and downs — including medical challenges with Bella, who was born six and a half weeks early. That’s when Dagan and Poore discovered adoption medicine. The New York-based couple had been matched with Bella’s mother in a pre-adoptive arrangement, who lived in Florida. When health issues c ..read more

By Taíno Bendz Resource parents and kinship caregivers play a vital role in guiding and protecting the children they care for. In today’s digital age, social media, online bullying and excessive screen time pose unique challenges for children affecting mental health, physical health, learning development, their ability to focus and how they form relationships. Children might already have harmful digital habits in place when they enter your home, which can impact your efforts to create a supportive environment. Here are some practical strategies and actionable advice to safeguard children again ..read more

By Stacey Goodson, M.S.   Being a teenager in 2024 is hard and comes with its share of challenges. Teens today must navigate social media, unchecked hormones, emotional intensity, peer relationships, time management and high school… to name just a few.  Teens in foster care have an additional set of challenges. Not only do they have complex and chronic trauma resulting from the experiences that brought them into foster care, but they’re also away from family, school, friends and neighborhood, likely living with people they don’t know. I can only imagine how hard that must be for them ..read more

By Danidy Espinoza As the oldest of eight children, it was my destiny to assume the role of my mother’s sidekick. My role felt heroic, but the older I got, the more I just wanted to be a kid. I resented my mother almost the entirety of my childhood and saw her more like an irresponsible older sister I had to constantly look out for. She was diagnosed bipolar schizophrenic. Her disease made my life physically and mentally draining. Every day I helped with household duties, cooking and cleaning. I also prepared baby bottles and even changed my younger siblings’ diapers. And if my mother was havi ..read more

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” – Bob Proctor We asked current foster, kinship and adoptive parents about the mentors who have made a difference for the children in their homes. Here’s what they shared:  “When I was a single parent raising children, they had big brothers (or sister or a couple match) through the Big Brothers program. They had experiences that I was not able to give them and some became lifelong friends. Now that I am raising grands, they have found mentors through the Christian sch ..read more

By Valarie Edwards Documentary filmmaker Yusef Presley was just 5 when he was separated from his sister, 7-year-old Khalia. The two initially entered foster care in the same family, but were later separated. Presley was sent to live with a white family on a farm hundreds of miles away from his Wichita, Kansas family. While his aunt assumed custody of his sister Presley, a Black man, said he never felt safe in his rural home. He also recalls being told the separation was necessary because of his ongoing emotional and behavioral expressions. “I was depressed and lost. I felt broken without my si ..read more

By Mary C. Cox In June 2020 our local agency called, asking if we had room for a 2-year-old boy. That’s when Liam, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, came to us. Liam was silent that first week. When he began speaking, he often used expletives. Walking, and eating solid foods was difficult for Liam. And, at the height of the pandemic, Liam needed therapy. Virtual therapy, scheduled for Friday afternoons, was draining for everyone. I’d traditionally set aside Fridays — between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. — for some self-care but with Liam’s arrival, those few precious hours t ..read more