By Brook Pratt, Foster Care Licensing Specialist at D.A. Blodgett - St John's
As we spring into May, Kent District Library and D.A. Blodgett-St. John’s are working together to bring awareness to National Foster Care Month! Last year there were 690 kids in foster care in Kent County; 160 of those kids came into care that year. Most were (and some still are) in need of loving homes to help them grow and thrive as their family works to be reunified. Teens especially have a hard time finding a home to grow in.
We are looking to find people curious about helping children and families who enter foster care bloom. Your family can grow through caring for children in your home and supporting their family in their journey toward coming back together. Being a companion that walks with family as they journey through the foster care system can greatly increase the chances of them reuniting and finding stability within themselves. Tending to children and families can have different outcomes too. Keep in mind, much like perennial and annual flowers, there are different lengths of time children stay with their foster parents.
Regardless of how deep their roots grow in your home, all children require nurturing to thrive in their new environments. We recommend reading Parenting with Love and Logic, Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors, or Raising Good Humans to if you are interested in reading about ways to help children thrive.
If you are interested in hearing stories about experiences of foster children/parents, we recommend reading To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care and We’ve Been There.
Please allow us to plant a seed of curiosity about foster care this spring as we welcome you to tabling events at the Plainfield and Kentwood branches during the month of May. Friends from D.A. Blodgett - St John's will be at the Plainfield Twp. Branch from 9:30 - 11:45 AM on May 9, May 15 and May 24. They will be at the Kentwood Branch from 9:30 - 11:45 AM on May 10, May 16, May 21, May 28 and May 30. We will have books across different age ranges related to fostering as well as D.A. Blodgett-St. John’s staff to answer questions about fostering.
To learn more about foster care or support families in foster care, visit dabsj.org, opens a new window
Add a comment to: Celebrate National Foster Care Month