“It takes too long” is a common refrain we hear in foster care.   

Folks inquire, hearts full of hope to care for a child or young person in need.  We chat with them, explain the ins and outs of the process, and the line gets quiet.  

“That’s a long time.  I don’t want to go through all that to just be a parent.” 

We nod.  “Yes, it is a process.” 

Six months.  It takes about six months to become a licensed foster parent; from the time a person submits their application to the time they are approved.  Half a year.  180 days.   

There are outliers- people who do it a bit faster (as little as 14 weeks) and folks who take longer (over two years for one family).   

The thought we have in foster care- if you wouldn’t still be interested in six months, or if you aren’t willing to give us a few hours of your time each week for six months, then promising a child you will be there for them might not be for you. 

Why So Long 

What are folks doing over the course of six months?  Let’s break that down. 

• The Application/CORI Forms- It takes about 45 minutes to fill this out.  Some folks do not sign it, so that means we have to ask them to go back and complete that.  Some go back in right away and others take more prompting (sometimes months…). 

• Running the Background Check- Currently, it takes about 1 week for results to come back.  Most folks agree, background checks are important for foster parents.  We can’t skip that part. 

• Housing Standards Visit- We come to your home and you take us on a tour!  We make sure you meet the criteria for the Housing Standards and discuss any issues.  This visit lasts about 45 minutes to an hour.   

• Forms- We ask you to fill out some forms to get to know you.  It is important we understand your routines, family dynamic, life experiences, and expectations of kids.  We use these forms to guide our conversations during our interviews.  Forms probably take folks about 2 hours.   

• Interviews- We will have one interview before MAPP class, one during, and one after.  There are often a few extra interviews sprinkled in, as we need to meet with all family members and will have follow-up questions.  Interviews range from 45 mintues to an hour and a half, depending on how much we have to discuss.  We sprinkle these throughout the process. 

• MAPP- This is a big one, but NECESSARY.  It is a requirement of all pre-adoptive and pre-foster homes in Massachusetts.  It is a multi-class course designed to educate you about the realities of fostering and to help you really consider if fostering is right for your household. Currently, we teach all our sessions online, so folks can log in and particiapte remotely.  It is active participation, so you need to be somewhere you can focus, talk, and really engage.  It is approximately 30 hours of time. 

• Documents- You have to upload documents (drivers’ licenses, birth certificates, dog registrations, rabies vaccination records, car registration, auto insurance, etc).  This is boring and most folks put it off.  We advise assigning yourself a few pieces of documentation a week and getting it done in pieces.  Overall, it probably takes 2 hours of time. 

• References- There are 4 kinds of references typically collected.  They include:  

• Personal References: You choose these folks.  They should be people who can attest to your character and preferably have witnessed you interact with children.  The references are automatically emailed, so you just have to plug in the email addresses of your references.  That takes about 10 minutes (b/c you have to find the email addresses and type them in; less if you have them easily available).   

• Medical References: This is a form completed by your doctor.  That means you need to give them to your doctor and might need to be seen, if you haven’t recently been to your provider.  That might take two hours of time.   

• Employer References: A form completed by your employer.  That shouldn’t take long- it can be emailed!  Not employed- Upload an income verification, which would be a benefits letter.   

• School references: These are for folks parenting school aged children/children in daycare.  It is a simple form that can be emailed or give directly to your child’s teacher/guidance counselor.  This should only take a few minutes of your time.  You then upload these documents.     

• Fingerprints- Everyone in the household age 15+ must complete fingerprints.  You schedule them at a location and time of your choosing.  It takes less than 15 minutes to complete, plus travel time to and from the location.  There is no cost. 

Reframing Six Months 

Six months is going to pass.  The calendar is going to turn over and over, page after page.   

Six months is less time than it takes for most plants to produce fruit or vegetables.  It is less time than it takes to obtain a certification for many trade programs.  It is less time than it takes to earn an associate’s degree.  It is less time than it takes to learn a new language.  It is less time than it takes for most infants to learn to crawl. 

By committing to six months (or more, if you move slowly) of a foster care assessment, you are committing to changing a life.  Your six months of preparation, exploration, and investigation means you understand that JRI Foster Care wants to understand you and ensure that a child will be safe, loved, protected, and respected in your home.  It means you understand that the impact you have on a child will last their lifetime. 

So, when you think about it, six months isn’t much at all. 

If you feel that six months is worth a lifetime of impact, we would love to hear from you.  Apply today.