Join Us in Recognizing National Foster Care Month: Ways to Help Wisconsin Youth & Families
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation recognizing May as National Foster Care Month. Since then, this month has become a time to raise awareness of and honor the thousands of children and youth in foster care. It also shines a light on the families who support them and the individuals and communities working to create safe and stable environments. Currently, there are approximately 365,000 children and youth who are in foster care in the United States.
With nearly 7,000 children in Wisconsin’s foster care system, the state continues to strengthen resources for foster parents, ensure children receive the stability they deserve, and promote permanency through family reunification or adoption. Additionally, Wisconsin has been committed to keeping children and youth with family members and in their communities whenever possible while in out-of-home care.
National Foster Care Month is a time of recognition and an opportunity to take action. In Wisconsin, communities are working to create awareness, share stories of success and the need for change, and encourage more families to become foster parents.
If you’re unsure if fostering is right for you, consider seeing how you can help the families who are able and willing to foster children and/or provide out-of-home care.
This could look like:
- Donating to your local Foster Care Closet
- Becoming a respite care provider to offer short-term support for families
- Mentoring or tutoring youth within your community
- Advocating for state policies that will positively impact foster youth
The Coalition for Children, Youth & Families would love to help you explore ways to make a lasting difference in the lives of foster youth.
Interested in Becoming a Foster Parent? Click here!
Recommended Resources
Tip Sheets
- Foster Parents and Social Workers: Allies and Advocates for Youth in Care
- Preparing the Kids in Your Home for Fostering
- Ways to Help Children & Youth in Care
- Communicating About Kids in Care: Understanding Stigmas & Stereotypes
- Setting Healthy Boundaries in a Co-Parenting Relationship
Training From Champion Classrooms
- Weathering the Storm of Grief in Foster Care
- Creating Felt Safety
- Everyday Healing: Naming Adversity and Loss
- Foster Parents Supporting Birth Parents: Considerations for Success
- Let’s Talk: Preparing Your Home to Welcome a Child
Additional WiFCC Resources
Additional Resource
