“The hoops are too much for me to go through for me to offer such a kind thing.”

I draw my breath in and let it out slowly. 

Another applicant bites the dust.

Another home does not open their door.

Another child is left waiting.

Foster parent licensing is a process.  It takes time and effort.  Completing an application, running background checks and fingerprints, home interviews, MAPP class, CPR and First Aid, obtaining references...I know

He left from school.  He had his backpack and his homework.  He didn't get to hug his mom.

She left from home.  There wasn’t time to pack much, they had to get going.  She wasn’t sure what to grab, so she just stuffed things into the garbage bag blindly.  Turned out to be clothing from last season.  She will have to wear a sweater and long pants tomorrow, even though it will be 84 degrees

May is National Foster Care Month.

What does that mean?  Why does it exist?

It isn’t a celebration of foster care.  Foster care occurs when families do not have the supports they need to safely keep children in their homes, so that’s not something for which we should break out the party hats.

What is National Foster Care Month all about?

National Foster Care Month is a time to bring the conversation of foster care

Our foster parents here at JRI represent a diverse bunch of people- and we LOVE that!  The more diverse, the stronger we are as a program and the better we can serve the diverse needs of children and youth in the Commonwealth.

Regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or identity, marital status, education, ethnicity, culture, parenting experience, or so many other demographic qualities, here are the top 10 unifying qualities shared by our successful foster

She was only supposed to stay for the weekend.

I told myself the reason we were only taking short-term foster care placements was to protect the hearts of the children already in our home.

And if we used the term “foster friends” instead of “brother” or “sister,” nothing would get confusing. Right?

But perhaps I was trying to protect my heart as well. Although–how deeply could you fall in love in one week?

It was

5 Top Reasons Foster Families Choose JRI

It is hard to know where to start with foster care.  Do you choose a state agency or a private agency?  What are the differences?  What supports will you need?  Which is the right fit?

We asked our foster families why they choose JRI and here are the Top Five Reasons our foster families cited!

1. The Staff!

Time and time again, our foster families cited the positive relationships

Dear Foster Friends of JRI,

You may have thought you were just purchasing a holiday gift for a child, something to brighten their Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa celebration.  You may have thought it was a simple gesture to make them feel included and to check an item off a wishlist. 

I’m here to tell you, every gift was so much more.

Foster Friends, your gift reinforced a child’s right to dream.  Your gift was a

On Friday, she will get the keys to her first apartment.

She will have all of the same butterflies as every young adult who has taken this step.  She will walk up the freshly shoveled path to the front stoop.  She will turn the key in the lock for the first time, swing open the door, and step into independence.

She is nineteen.  Most of her peers are still at home or in dorms for

You’ve submitted the Foster Care Inquiry Form.  You’ve completed the Application.  You’ve had a Physical Standards Inspection of your home and passed.  You submitted your Autobiography and now, you’ve scheduled your first Foster Parent Interview.

Your heart beats a little bit faster.  What is going to happen?  What if you say the wrong thing?  Is there a wrong thing?

Foster care interviews are a little awkward at first.  It is hard to open your

Stoic.

That is an appropriate description of him.  Mr. Stoic.

When the big sad thing happened, his face remained still and guarded.  He blinked hard a few times, but in the moment, he kept every muscle under the tightest control.

At the park when other kids were whooping on swings and careening down the slide, limbs flailing, he followed their paths, but there was a firm concentration on his brow.  He pumped his legs in