Our kids saw foster care as exciting—Yay! A new brother or sister!—but they soon realized there was more to it than that. Our life as a family flipped upside down with each new placement, so we followed these guidelines to make sure our kids were not overwhelmed.

Talk honestly with your children about what foster care is and how having another child in your home will affect them.

When José fled violence in South America, he knew education was his path forward in the U.S.

As a first-time adoptive parent, Dr. Kimberly Offutt had an idealistic vision of what “happily ever after” would look like. As a foster care worker, she knew the need was great for teens with trauma history, and she thought she was ready. But love, it turns out, does not undo a child’s deep wounds.

Fostering medically fragile children takes extra time, effort, care, but Bethany provides training and support so foster parents like Dan and Katy can provide a safe place for children to heal and thrive.

Church ministries should be making it evident that all are welcome and cared for—including foster families.

Will and Colleen don’t do anything halfway. So when they said yes to foster parenting, it changed their whole lives.

Taylor was at her lowest point. Still recovering from a mental health crisis, she was abandoned by her guardians with nowhere to go. She was a teen headed for a residential facility until 30 Days to Family® at Bethany found Taylor a family she didn’t know she had.

At 17, Ebony entered foster care homeless and with a newborn daughter. Without parents in the picture, she needed caring, trusted adults to help guide her next steps toward her future.

For years James and Tamisha talked about becoming foster parents, setting aside the discussion until it circled back again. When they were ready, they made a...