Reunification After Foster Care: A Father’s Fight for His Children

Albert seeksA after foster care, pictured with his three children, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's daughter.

Parents seeking reunification after foster care must meet state requirements and follow specific steps. The process ensures a safe transition from foster care, but without guidance, the steps to reunify can overwhelm some parents. This is especially true for parents with few resources or little support. Our partner, Restore Hope, provides that guidance and support […]

How To Help Students in Foster Care: Managing School Stress

A boy looking at his homework with a thought bubble that says "I don't think I can do this"

Stress can be a source of major problems in many areas of life, including schools. A 2015 NYU study found that “nearly half (49%) of all [high school] students reported feeling a great deal of stress on a daily basis.” School stress affects all students to varying degrees, but the instability of foster care often […]

Transition-Aged Youth In Foster Care: Community Heals

A collection of doors

Perhaps the most often-overlooked population affected by the child welfare crisis is transition-aged youth. When it comes to foster care in particular, most people envision children between infancy and early teens. Yet, 13% of all kids in foster care are 17 or older (most states offer extended foster care for qualifying youth). Over 15,000 transition-aged […]

New Foster Parents Guide: Welcome Your First Foster Placement

An orange handbook titled "Field Guide for New Foster Parents" rests on a white background.

Fostering children comes with many responsibilities and requirements, and new foster parents may feel overwhelmed. Even though the work can be incredibly meaningful, bringing a foster child into your home can be intimidating, especially since foster children often have trauma that they bring with them. To help you feel empowered and supported, we’ve compiled some […]

Parent Coaching for Families: How Trauma-Informed Care Preserved a Kinship Home

Parent coaching for families helps parents use trauma-informed care to preserve their families.

Trauma often strains relationships and threatens a family’s well-being, whether they’re foster, kinship, adoptive, or biological. When not treated, the effects may lead to broken or unhealthy relationships. Our partner, Chosen Care, exists to help children and their families connect through parent coaching. By using psychology-based strategies and trauma-informed care, they help build strong, stable […]

How to Become a Foster Parent in 2025

Two children play on the beach watched over by their foster parents.

There are over 343,000 children in foster care across the United States, but only 186,000 foster homes. It often takes months or years before these children reunify with family, find permanency through adoption, or age out of care. During this crucial time, children urgently need ideal foster placements. Yet the licensing process sometimes overwhelms potential […]

Supporting Transition-Aged Youth in Foster Care

Few 18-year-olds are ready to be completely independent, yet thousands of young adults age out of foster care each year without a family or support system. These transition-aged youth (TAYs) enter adulthood alone without guidance, assistance, or encouragement. The outcomes are grim: 90% in chronic poverty, 80% of men incarcerated, and 70% of women pregnant […]

Prevent Foster Care: One Mom’s Journey Through the 100 Families Program

We can prevent foster care when we unite local resources to serve families like Mariah's, pictured here in family photos.

Every year, thousands of families in crisis risk separation–not because of abuse or neglect, but because they struggle with one or more of the 13 social determinants of health. Too often, a lack of coordination between local resources keeps families from getting the help they need. That’s where our partner Restore Hope steps in. Through […]

From Foster Care to Fatherhood: Daniel’s Story

After entering foster care, Daniel encountered unconditional love at Coyote Hill.

Some children placed in foster care come from incredibly painful circumstances. In those cases, it’s more important than ever to provide ideal family placements that meet their specific needs. Our partner, Coyote Hill, provides a safe and nurturing environment for children impacted by foster care. They recruit and support foster parents through the licensing process […]

What Makes an Ideal Foster Family?

The Contingent uses data to find ideal family placements for children in foster care.

There are about 343,000 children in foster care in the United States, but only 186,000 licensed foster families. Put simply, the math is not in our favor. To end the child welfare crisis in America, we need more licensed foster families than children in foster care, ensuring that no child enters foster care without a […]

Reunification Journey: Esther’s Support Leads to Connection

Supporting parents on their reunification journey brings community and connection.

The goal of foster care is always reunification, when appropriate. Yet the reunification journey poses challenges because of its complexity. It can also be isolating, as many assume that if a parent’s children are in foster care, they must be a bad person. In this desert of support, our partner CarePortal’s care-sharing platform connects kids […]

5 Inspiring People in Foster Care History

These 5 people in foster care history changed child welfare forever: Charles Loring Brace, Carrie Steele Logan, Jane Addams, C.C. Carsten, and Nicholas Winton.

Our mission to end the child welfare crisis in our nation draws inspiration from early advocates in foster care history. By learning their stories, we better understand the issues we face today. Contrary to popular belief, child welfare services in the United States started with everyday individuals rather than the government. Men and women saw […]