“Make a difference in your own life, by making a difference in the life of a child.”
~ Kathleen Blatz, Former MN Chief Justice
8900 (2020) children are in foster care, on any given day in Minnesota. Many are staying in shelter due to a lack of foster homes.
Making the decision to become a licensed foster home involves personal experiences and self-reflection. Families choose to foster for a variety of reasons, some of which are discussed below.
Meeting a Community Need
Families who provide foster care are meeting a direct, urgent need in our community by providing a safe, loving home for a Minnesota child. Children do better when they are being cared for in a family setting until they are reunified with family or are adopted.
Making a Difference in the Life of a Child
Children in need of foster families have experienced trauma and difficult early life experiences. Families who welcome these children in their home, do so with a strong commitment to parent in ways that meet the needs of the specific child. Families are motivated to engage in ongoing education and support needed to unique needs of the children in care.
Foster Parenting Changes Generations
Parenting a child in foster care can change generations. Children and youth can learn from families who are stable, loving, and safe. Foster parents can provide security and safety, that children can grow up and pass on to their own children, and their children will do the same.