Summertime Recipes

Are you looking for some kid-friendly recipes that will wow even the pickiest eater? Check out these websites for some cool recipes!

https://www.popsugar.com/moms/Kid-Friendly-Summer-Recipes-30833417

http://www.momjunction.com/articles/healthy-easy-summer-recipes-your-kids-will-love_0083315/#gref

https://www.superhealthykids.com/15-easy-and-fresh-summer-lunch-ideas/

https://www.parents.com/recipes/cooking/family-favorites/easy-no-cook-suppers/

http://www.momables.com/10-fun-summer-recipes-kids-will-love/

Surveys

Dear parents, please remember to complete your surveys and have your foster children complete theirs. If you have not received your survey please contact your worker so that you may receive it. Please allow your children to complete their surveys in privacy. Feel free to contact your worker or anyone in the TFC department with any questions.

PRIDE Class Tomorrow @ The Arc

We are excited to  announce that our first PRIDE class of the year will be held at The Arc this Saturday January 20th at 10:00 AM. There is still space available if you are interested. For more details please contact anyone in the Treatment Foster Care department at 410-836-7177.

Announcements and good news

We hope that your holidays were merry and bright. For many of our foster children they were. However, there are still so many foster children who need loving homes. The holidays may be over but let’s continue the spirit of giving by opening our hearts and homes to those in need.

We have postponed out Foster Parent Support group which was scheduled for this Thursday January 4, 2018. We will have the group next Thursday January 11, 2018 from 5:30-7:30. If you are interested in attending any of our groups or an informational session, please contact the TFC department at 410-836-7177. Please see below for our current 2018 training schedule.

One of our foster children has been recognized and is receiving an award for helping others. We are encouraged by this young man’s heart and wanting to lend a hand.

2018 TFC Training Schedule

January 11, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 PM:

PRIDE Refresher/Arc Model of Trauma

There will be a refresher training on PRIDE concepts which will help our parents remain focused and sharpen their parenting skills. Included will be a presentation on the Arc model of trauma.

February 1, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 PM:

Flavors of Life: Diversity in an Ever-Changing World

Folashade Idowu will be presenting on diversity and why it is important to accept others’ differences even if we do not subscribe to their way of life. She will give practical advice on how to be inclusive and accepting of people from all walks of life.

March 1, 2018 from 5:30- 7:30 PM

Skillset part 1 (Internet Safety)

There will be a presentation on the importance of internet safety including keeping your personal information safe (social security numbers, addresses, etc.) and how to spot phishing websites that may compromise your information and overall safety.

April 5, 2018 from 5:30- 7:30 PM

Skillset part 2 (Social Media safety)

There will be a discussion on the importance of keeping certain information private, including names, locations, pictures, etc.

We will stress the importance of being careful about who we engage with online and why it is important to never meet strangers offline.

May 3, 2018 from 5:30pm-7:30 PM:

C.O.P.E -Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment

There will be a presentation on CBT techniques and learning techniques for behavioral crises and everyday stresses.  

June 7, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 PM

Sex Trafficking/Sex Addiction

Turnaround, Inc. will be presenting on Sex Trafficking and Addiction which will include what to look for and how to help combat the disturbing trend of Sex Trafficking. We will also explore what sex addiction looks like and how to treat it.

* Topics are subject to change

Low Budget Holiday Games and Activities

Are you strapped for cash this holiday season? Here are some low-budget games and activities:

Letter to Santa- Grab a regular envelope and decorate it and make an envelope with construction paper. Write a nice letter to Santa telling him what you want for Christmas.

** Make it a party- for added fun, bake some cookies (of course only parents or other adults should be around the stove), make hot chocolate with marshmallows, and put on Christmas music for a festive time!

Christmas lights tour- Do an internet search on different neighborhoods to see who has the best display this year. Hop in the car and take your family to that neighborhood to see nice holiday displays.

Holiday Pictionary- Check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhv3xzCORI

You can adapt the categories to holiday terms.

Create Your Own Ornaments- The cool thing about this is that you can make ornaments out of just about anything (cardboard, straws, soda tops, etc.).

Improv Carols- Get into 2-3 teams and come up with a Christmas carol in 5 minutes. Designate a person who will time and judge the carols. For added fun, allow the judge to pick what the carols will be about (gingerbread man, snowflakes, etc.)

Ugly Christmas Sweater Game Night- have everyone get an old sweater (or shirt if you don’t have a sweater) and decorate it with silly things (cotton balls, yarn, etc.). Make some hot chocolate, pop some popcorn and play board games together.

It's a Foster Wear Party!

We are excited about an upcoming event. Several of our parents have agreed to host Foster Wear parties! The first party was today (Friday). The second one is on December 7^th. 

Prospective parents can come out to get real-world views from our awesome foster parents. If you would like more information on hosting a Foster Wear party, please comment below. Alternatively, you may contact our recruiter Karen Guilbault at 443-412-5425.

Schools are Closed this Friday..check out these fun activities!

Don’t forget that all schools are closed this Friday for a teacher's state conference. Here are some cool things (some activities are free) to do on your day(s) off (be sure to check hours of operation for each venue):

Harford County:

Concord Point Lighthouse

http://concordpointlighthouse.org/

Harford Lanes (bowling)

http://harfordlanes.com/

Broom’s Bloom Dairy

http://www.bbdairy.com/index.html

Rocks State Park

http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/rocks.aspx

Activities @ Havre De Grace

http://www.explorehavredegrace.com/

Baltimore County:

Valley of the Haunted @ the Boys and Girls Club

http://valleyofthehaunted.com/

Ladew Topiary Gardens

http://www.explorehavredegrace.com/

National Aquarium

https://aqua.org/

Amped Up

http://www.2ampedup.com/

Shaw Orchards

http://www.shaworchards.com/index.php

Sky Zone:

https://www.skyzone.com/timonium

Cecil County/Delware:

Delaware Rock Gym

http://www.derockgym.com/

Millburn Orchards

http://www.milburnorchards.com/

Millburn Stone Theatre

http://www.milburnstone.com/

Painting with a Twist

https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/newark

Mid Atlantic Grand Prix

http://www.midatlanticgp.com/

Foster Parent Information Session

A few days ago, we had a foster parent information session. Even though the weather was bad, we still had a few interested prospective foster parents. We hope that they decide to go on this wonderful journey and are looking forward to providing them with the tools that they need to succeed. 

Interim report cards just came out. We are happy to report that our foster children are doing well in school. This is possible because of our Rockstar foster parents and other professionals in the field who create a dedicated support network for the kids. 

If you would like more information on any of our info. sessions or becoming a foster parent, please contact Karen Guilbault  at 443-412-5425.

Great News!

This past Thursday, we had a great foster parent support group about behaviors in children with developmental delays. We had a good turnout and are looking forward to our next group. Last week, one of our children went to guardianship. 

We are so happy for her and wish her and her family all the best!

What's New?

Recently, we were able to reunite two brothers in Harford County, MD.

We have two new foster children which we placed in loving foster homes. We are looking forward to hearing about the new memories that will be created and new relationships that will be developed between these children and their foster families.

One of our foster children recently embarked on a new journey by attending college. We wish her success as she continues her studies and are excited to see the wonderful milestones that she and our other foster children will experience.

Announcements

On Thursday September 14^th, we had our first foster parent training of the fiscal year. It was an engaging presentation on sex trafficking by Araminta. We learned several things including the difference between prostitution and trafficking. 

As always, we received great feedback from our foster parents. We are looking forward to next month’s presentation by Kennedy Krieger!

As a reminder, if you are due for any paperwork, please reach out to the TFC department. Additionally, we have training articles available on our blog via clickable links. 

If you need a hard copy of an article or need an article or training summary sheet emailed, please contact us at 410-836-7177 ext. 329 or ask for anyone in the TFC department.

Rachel's Story

Being a foster parent is sometimes challenging. However, the relationships that you build can last a lifetime and have a lasting impact on foster children. Check out Rachel’s inspiring story!

TFC Picnic

We have finally locked down a date and time for our TFC picnic. It will be Friday August 25^th from 3:30-6:30 pm. Please RSVP to reserve your spot. 

The first 5 families to respond will receive a FREE gift! Additionally, we will have a Back-to-School giveaway as well as a raffle at the picnic. 

This is one event you don’t want to miss! Check your inbox for details on how to RSVP for this event.

Congrats!

We would like to congratulate our newest high school graduate J.H. We wish her continued success as she embarks on her journey. We would also like to acknowledge our upcoming work program graduates. We are proud of all our TFC children. We would like to thank them for reminding us that anything is possible with perseverance.

Please help us welcome our newest temp. TFC team member DeShanda Johnson. Although her time here will be brief, we are confident that her expertise will have a lasting impact on our department.

Please remember to subscribe to our TFC blog for the latest goings-on in all things TFC!