Ashely Taylor of ,Disableparents.org shares her advice on how parents with disabilities can best prepare for bringing home a child Parenting while disabled does not mean you have limitations as a parent. You may have different experiences, but you can also have different rewards at the same time. Preparing for a newborn comes with challenges, but planning can help you through them. Adapt the Home Modifying a home takes a lot of preparation. You may have a head start if you have already introduced some adaptations, but parenting while disabled may require additional accessibility features. Sur ..read more

The Foster Coalition wrote the following press release on behalf of Advokids. Advokids launches awareness campaign for National Child Abuse Prevention Month San Francisco, CA, April 4, 2017 -- In May 2013, eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez died after months of abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. Gabriel’s teacher and others reported the abuse multiple times but social workers left the child in the home where he later died. In March 2017, an L.A. County judge ruled that social workers should stand trial on charges related to Gabriel’s death. in the death of the child. Advokids ..read more

This is Emma Crum's college application essay on how being a foster sister has changed her. Reprinted with permission. I walked into my house after a normal day at school and was greeted by a tiny Hispanic boy holding a Spider-Man flashlight. He was trying to tell me the flashlight was broken, but he was three years old and bilingual, which made it hard for me to understand him. My mom introduced me to him, Alex is his name. And from that day forward he's impacted my life in ways I never thought possible. He's the kid that worried more about his broken Spider-Man flashlight than the burn blis ..read more

The below is reproduced from the Chronicle of Social Change with the permission of Fostering Media Connections. It was originally published here. As an advocate for foster youth and foster parents, I’ve heard many foster parents complain that they feel voiceless when it comes to decision making and input into the well-being of a child in their care. If a child’s been with the foster parents for a time, they will have bonded, and the foster parents will be intimately aware of the child’s needs and sensitivities. Where is a foster parent to turn for quick, inexpensive guidance when they feel th ..read more

The below is reproduced from the Chronicle of Social Change with the permission of Fostering Media Connections. It was originally published here. In 2012 Yasmin Mistry, an Emmy-nominated animator and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in state care, launched Foster Care Film to give foster youth an opportunity to share their stories. Since then Mistry’s digital glimpses into the real-life experiences of foster youth have drawn accolades at film festivals and are serving as instructional tools for university students and also as lessons to heed for a foreign government develo ..read more

Recently I was pitching a producer of a well-known, highly regarded U.S. talk show about doing a story related to foster care. This producer is a terrific person with a big heart. I can tell she really wants to help elevate the foster care cause, but all show ideas and guests aren't entirely up to her. She has bosses, and she has to answer for ratings. The producer said, "I'd love to do something, but it's sweeps week (it was at the time of our conversation), and given we're in the middle of the presidential campaign season, all of our shows are really focused on current political and social ..read more

Recently I was asked to write a plan that includes ideas for how to involve a city council of a large Midwestern city in National Foster Care month. I'm sharing it here because it may give some of you ideas for driving more awareness for foster youth in your city for either National Foster Care Month or National Adoption Month. Important Dates to Keep in Mind Every year, May is National Foster Care Awareness Month and November is National Adoption Month (with much emphasis put on adopting out of foster care) in the United States. November 19 is the official “National Adoption Day” for 2016. C ..read more

Cleveland, OH -- Kevinee Gilmore’s “Foster Share House” was being renovated and was nearly ready for its new occupants—four young women who grew up in foster care. That’s when the house was robbed. “Thieves broke the lockbox, took the key and cleaned out the house,” Gilmore said. “They took $25,000 worth of drywall, electrical copper, the bathroom toilet and vanity… everything including the wood flooring. I had canceled the insurance to save money for the renovation since no one lived there yet. Now all our plans have come to a grinding halt.” In late 2015, Gilmore gained some notoriety when ..read more

At 25 years old, Lacresha White is a strong, confident young woman. She recently received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland (which she convinced the school to pay for), she works for a juvenile treatment center in Baltimore, Maryland, and has launched an online life coaching and resiliency training blog. Lacresha’s mission is clear—to help foster youth learn to be resilient and to mentor them on available resources as they emancipate from the child welfare system. Lacresha has always come across as self-assured and determined, on the outside at least. Inside she was ..read more

The following was written and distributed by the Foster Coalition on behalf of ,OneSimpleWish.org WILKESBORO, NC, February 15, 2016 – On February 12, Kristen (not her real name), a 9-year old living in foster care in Wilkesboro, NC, got the surprise of her young life—balloons, flowers, cupcakes for her school classmates, and nearly 500 Valentine’s Day cards sent to her by caring people across the United States, including other foster children and at-risk youth living in group homes. Adjusting to life in foster care has been difficult for Kristen. That’s when Kristen’s foster mom Angela (last ..read more