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No general orientation session this month. If you are interested in becoming a DCFYI host or adoptive parent, please email and we will schedule an individual orientation. Thank you!
A mentor's reflection: establishing boundaries with help from the Family & Youth Initiative social worker. Most recent post on the DCFYI blog. Have a question you would like to see answered on the blog? Ask us and look for the answer in a future post. D.C.’s Child Welfare Agency moves closer to ending court-mandated oversight after 30 years. A majority of young adults in the U.S. live with their parents for the first time since the Great Depression. ‘Growing up in foster care is what makes my college experience more difficult.’ The latest crisis: Low-income students are dropping out of college this fall in alarming numbers. Wednesday’s Child: Austin finds his forever home after 5,449 days in foster care. "It's not where you come from, it's where you belong." ‘You would have to be prepared to adopt.’ Want to see more? Like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. We post links of interest on both feeds.
Your support means more teens in foster care will have lifelong connections with caring adults and find adoptive families. |
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And learning a new normal
What a complicated back to school this has been. Some schools are holding virtual classes; some are trying in-person classes. And some schools could not seem to make up their minds, changing plans multiple times over the summer. My hat is off to parents with school-aged children who are making this work and to students who are finding a new normal, especially those starting new schools without the usual orientations or opportunity to meet classmates and teachers in person. Some children in foster care navigate similar challenges every school year. They change foster or group home placements and as a result have to change schools (not always at the start of the school year). Often they are starting new at a school where everyone else already knows each other and feels settled in. By one estimate, 65% of children in foster care experience seven or more school changes from elementary to high school. That's a lot of changes and too many times of being the new student trying to figure out a new school and fit in. School stability is just one of the reasons children in foster care need permanence. Navigating this most unusual of back to school seasons is a reminder of how hard it is when routines are upended and we have to adapt to a new way of being (or belonging). And why children in foster care need family,
Virtual Events We are starting to hold small in-person events while we can be outside. Because of size limitations, these events are open to new and matched mentors, host parents, and adoptive parents only. We are also continuing to hold virtual events. If you would like to participate in either and have not already been in touch with Chanelle, please email her. We miss seeing everyone!
Virtual conferences The ATTACh (Association for Training on Attachment and Children) conference is in October. Spread out over four weeks. Schedule and registration information on the ATTACh website. Join us for a virtual Establishing Roots!
We hope those of you not in the DC region will also join us this year! Registration is free but you must register to attend. You can also pay for tickets if you like or sponsor Establishing Roots at the registration link. Want to be an Establishing Roots sponsor? Information online or email us with any questions. We are offering delicious pasta dinners to sponsors who are in the area. There will be Establishing Roots watch parties so you won't miss seeing friends and fellow DCFYI supporters even though we are going virtual this year. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you. |
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20003
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