The National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council were thrilled to meet with key stakeholders from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) this September! Commissioner Jones-Gaston, Associate Commissioner Schomburg and Dae’Shawn Nixon, Senior Advisor for Youth & Family Engagement had a conversation with us about our 20th priority “Decriminalize Being in Foster Care.”  In this priority, Council members forward the following statements:  Priority 1: Those charged with our safety must remember that we are children and teenagers. Priority 2: Our caregivers need t ..read more

“From the moment a child is removed from their home, they often encounter their first interaction with law enforcement, setting a troubling precedent. As foster youth navigate these institutions, they encounter individuals who believe punitive consequences are an acceptable response to normal childhood and trauma-induced behaviors.  This culture erodes the cycle of attachment and severs connection and self-development. The foster care to prison pipeline is a prime example of how institutions can sustain cycles of injustice and disadvantage, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communi ..read more

Every holiday season there are young people in foster care who experience the mixed feelings that are brought on by the complexity of enjoying the holidays while feeling unsettled in their lives, families, and communities. Needless to say, these experiences are very different from what many experience as The 12 Days of Christmas and play a large role in how alumni of foster care approach life during the holidays. To better help you understand the experiences some alumni of foster care may have faced during this holiday season, we invite you to please enjoy these lyrics. 12 Days of Foster Ca ..read more

Even after being placed with a family — or even when chosen — it is a struggle becoming comfortable with where you are. Without proper guidance or help, becoming a productive member of society can be one of the hardest things a foster care youth can accomplish. From someone who has been in the system, as well as been homeless, I can wholehearterdly sympathize with those who are in the current predicament. I think that the issues begin and root themselves before we as foster youth turn 18. Without education or workshops on how to be financially stable, programs to help us with figuring ou ..read more

11.28.2018 WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU! Dear Friend, A special greeting to express sincere gratitude for your confidence, support, and donations for our mission. We are deeply thankful for you! We know that at this time, holidays are hard for our alumni and youth in care across the nation. Please know that your journey is in our hearts and we are thinking of you this holiday season. For our allies and individuals who have supported our young people facing foster care and adults who have experienced the system, we are deeply grateful for your work. You are the reason why we do what we do. Without y ..read more

Constance Iannetta of the FCAA National Board & Pennsylvania Chapter shares her kinship story in the September-October issue of Fostering Families Today. Cover for September-October FFT Magazine. “Simply put, I was terrified. Aside from the usual frazzled excitement that comes with being a new parent, I was afraid to fail because of my own prior system involvement as a youth. Wanting to be something for a child that I had never experienced was scary, but I knew that we could do it with the right support. As soon as I shared the news about the opportunity to provide kinship care within m ..read more

FCAA Remembers George Sheldon   Mr. George Sheldon, President/CEO at Our Kids of Miami-Dade and Monroe, Inc. Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA), is the national voice for over 400,000 children living in foster care and nearly 12 million alumni, including 19 state chapters.  We honor and mourn the loss of George Sheldon, who passed suddenly on August 23, 2018. George Sheldon was a leader in creating child welfare programs and systems that were sensitive to the needs of youth in care and young adults. In this sense, he was a pioneer, involving young people every step of the way in ..read more

Abused and Neglected Kids Gain Access to Higher Education Under New Law   CHICAGO– Today, Governor Rauner signed HB 5122, a bipartisan bill that grants access to higher education for abused and neglected kids in Illinois. The new law means youth in care and former youth in care who graduated from high school will have tuition and fees that exceed the amounts paid to the applicant under the federal Pell Grant Program or the State’s Monetary Award Program waived at Illinois community college or public universities. “This is a great step for Illinois to take to give youth in care the tools w ..read more

A message from the FCAA National Board of Directors: Background:  The FCAA National Board of Directors is composed of a diverse group of professionals who have a wide variety of previous exposure to, and life experiences within, the child welfare system, including foster care. Based on our professional and personal experiences, we are in opposition to the  “license to discriminate” against children, youth, and families according to moral and religious reasons outlined in the Aderholt Amendment. We are also in opposition to the Aderholt Amendment’s proposed punitive funding cut to st ..read more

On July 29th, Jamerika will compete for the National Ms. USA Ambassador title in Tampa, FL. I first learned about pageants from watching Miss America. I admired the sparkly gowns, polished on-stage answers and bright stage lights. I too felt like I could be the next Miss America. However once the telecast was over, so was my daydream of being in a pageant. I was five-years-old when I went into foster care. For the next 13 years, my existence became about survival. However, there were times where I would connect with my dreams. I once told a foster parent that I wanted to be an actress ..read more