Over 150 years ago, Charles Loring Brace, the founder of The Children’s Aid Society, worked to find safe homes and caring families for the thousands of homeless, abused and orphaned children living on the streets of New York City. That program, called the Orphan Train Movement, is recognized as the foundation of the United States’ modern-day foster care system.

Adoption and Foster Care remains one of Children’s Aid’s highest priorities as we find nurturing homes for some of New York’s neediest children each year. In addition to offering Family Foster Care, our program also provides specialized services including Medical and Therapeutic Foster Care. For teens, we have foster care staff and services providing independent living skills with a focus on those “aging out” of foster care.

In 2009, we placed 75 children in permanent adoptive homes, and provided safety to more than 600 others via foster care. The need for safe homes continues to rise, especially for teenagers, large sibling groups and teen mother-child placements. The Children’s Aid Society is recruiting additional foster parents to offer homes to children needing support and care that their birth families aren’t able to provide. Foster Parenting is a challenging and rewarding way to make a difference in the life of a child.

If you, or someone you know, are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, please call us at 212.949.4962 for more information.

Basic requirements for foster parents include:

1. Applicants must be over the age of 21. They can be single, married, or in a domestic partnership.

2. Applicant must be self-sufficient. Applicant’s income can be from employment, pension, or social security.

3. Applicant must complete a state screening/background check.

4. Applicant must complete 30 hours of Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP) training, basic training for all foster parent applicants.

5. Applicant must be in good physical and mental health and have completed physical exams for every household member.

6. Applicant must be the lease holder to his or her own apartment or home.

7. Applicant must identify an emergency child care person.

Please consider making an incredible difference in the life of a child in need of a home by providing critical support and care that would otherwise be missing from his or her life.

Tags: Adoption and Foster Care, Children, children's aid new york, Orphan Trains