At America’s Kids Belong our mission is to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care.
We Are Committed To:
Family Recruitment
A family for every child
Community Engagement
A Foster Friendly community for every family
Coalitions for Change
Hope for every community
How Does It Look To Say “Yes” To A Child In Foster Care?
IMAGINE…”being awakened in the middle of the night…and a fireman is standing on the front porch with a little girl and says…’Would you be willing to keep her safe tonight?’ What would you do in that situation?”
Todd Kinzle
America’s Kids Belong CEO Todd Kinzle shares how confronting their true answer to this question led him and his wife to take the next step to turn their “No” into a “Yes” — first to foster care, and later to adopting their son from foster care.
If you’re considering your own next steps in saying “Yes” to caring for vulnerable kids, then you’re in the right place. Whether you’re considering
- Becoming a foster parent,
- Adopting a child from foster care, or
- Supporting the families in your community who do.
Be Confident Your Yes Can Make An Important Difference In The Life Of A Child.
FAMILY RECRUITMENT
Explore Adoption.
Meet some of the amazing kids in foster care in need of forever families.
We’re Committed to a Family for Every Child
Family Recruitment
Hundreds of thousands of kids in the U.S. foster care system are unseen and suffering, left to feel like they don’t belong. We dramatically improve their experiences and outcomes so they can thrive in safe, loving families and supportive communities where they belong.
Prevention
Preventing a child from entering the foster care system is always the top priority, including kinship care where children live with extended family. Our Foster Friendly App gives kinship and foster families access to discounts, services and wrap-around support.
Recruitment
When foster care is necessary we help raise awareness of the need for foster parents and accompany parents who say “yes” on their journey to become foster parents.
Explore Fostering
Retention
Nearly half of foster parents stop fostering within the first year, many citing a “lack of social support.” That’s where our Foster Friendly Communities come in. Businesses, faith communities and civic organizations can play an instrumental role in appreciating, encouraging and supporting foster families.
Make Your Community Foster Friendly.
Adoption
Of the more than 400,000 kids in the U.S. foster care system, 100,000 are unable to be reunified with their biological families and are eligible for adoption. Our I Belong Project uses powerful video storytelling to help hundreds of kids each year to find forever families and a place they belong.
Adopt A Child From Foster Care.
And yet…
Child welfare systems are chronically under-funded and overworked.
There is a shortfall of
certified foster parents.
Nearly half of foster parents stop fostering within the first year.
23,000 kids age out of foster care each year without the support and stability of a family.
Without the life-changing support of a forever family and community, kids who age out of foster care alone face daunting odds:
1 in 4
Become justice-involved
1 in 4
Do not graduate high school
or pass the GED
1 in 2
Experience
homelessness
1 in 2
Develop substance
dependency
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
A Foster Friendly Community for Every Family
We’re committed to a community for every family. In order to support and retain families we equip businesses, faith communities and civic organizations to become Foster Friendly and help connect them with local families via our innovative Foster Friendly App. Nearly 1,000 national and local offers are on the app and the number expands daily.
COALITIONS FOR CHANGE
Together We Can Bring Hope to Every Community
We are committed to bringing hope to every community. Our innovative model helps forge coalitions of leaders in state and local government, child welfare, business, faith communities and civic organizations to raise awareness and drive sustainable change in foster care.
