Cool Announcements

One of our foster children (teen) has a significant other, another just got her driver’s license and  another foster child is now on ‘Rainbow Status’ at school and is performing very well at school with 100 % on her exams.

Some of our children were in Christmas plays this holiday season as well. We look forward to hearing about their performances and how well they did!

Holiday Cheer

Our children and families had a blast at our TFC and Arc NCR holiday parties. They were so encouraged and appreciative! 

We would like to thank Gene Dobbins and Sam Laws at Mountain Christian Church in Abingdon, MD, The Scholz family and APG staff, Samantha Romero and the Bel Air High School Jazz Band for all of the amazing things that they have done to make the holiday special for our foster families!

Achieving Permanency: A foster parent's perspective

Treatment foster care is a special, intensive service available to many children in the foster care system who have elevated behavioral, mental health, or medical needs. Often for a child to be placed into treatment foster care, they have had to disrupt previous placements or proven to be “difficult to care for”.  Treatment foster care is often the last, least restrictive environment children can go to before needing a placement in a residential facility. Our goal as treatment foster care providers mirrors the goal of all child welfare agencies; which is for children who require out of home placements, to be in as few homes as possible with a healing caregiver, this is called placement stability. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our program being the last stop for children, we often do not get children until they have been in 3-4 placements; in fact, the average number of placements for a child in foster care is between 5-6, with many youth and children experiencing as many as ten or more.

Placement stability means that through the good and bad you stick it out for the child until they reach their permanency (forever home). This is exactly what Marquetta and Reginald King did for their foster child A.C. who was just reunified home to his family in October 2018 after spending two years in foster care. A.C. arrived at the King residence in 2016 as his first placement and entry into foster care. Marquetta and Reginald took him in and despite setbacks, challenges, and barriers over the years, the King family was able to remain A.C.’s one and only family experience of foster care. To say that Marquetta and Reginald achieved placement stability is an understatement; less than 10% of children in foster care experience 1-2 placements. Words cannot express the magnitude of gratitude for the Kings and many of the families at the Arc-NCR who stick with their children through the good and the bad, they are the true heroes.

 “I try to employ the 9 fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), which are listed in a frame in my kitchen, daily.  If I can embody even a fraction of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, I know that I can weather the storm of nurturing and providing a loving home to a child who has been displaced and is angry at the world. “

 – Marquetta King

Marquetta also gave these tactics for how she managed A.C.’s placement and other placements:

 Diversion:  Creating even a 20 second diversion is enough to deescalate a situation.  For example, loudly questioning, while pointing to the back yard through the kitchen window or while driving in the car "did you see that!" right in the middle of a heated argument usually works.  It takes the focus off the adverse issue or argument and lets the brain focus on trying to quickly see the thing being pointed out.  Humorously, phantom objects are followed up with "oh, I guess you missed it."                                   

Pre-discussion:  Choosing a light-hearted unrelated topic, or nearby object to discuss before addressing an adverse behavior lightens the reprimand.  Example...before talking about a school suspension I may talk about how much money he has saved in his piggy bank on the dresser, how old he is in a photo on the night stand or pick up his bible and ask what the last scripture was he has read.     

Humor:  Skillfully getting the agitated person to smile or laugh, or the people around them to laugh is valuable.  Daily humor creates a lighter mood in the home overall. Sometimes it's at my expense.

Alternative advisors:  Kids sometime welcome advice quicker from those other than their parents.  I would often have a social worker, DSS worker, CASA, or teacher give advice or counsel that supported what I was trying to convey.  Surprisingly, having a sibling speak to another sibling was often effective.

Positive vs negative statements:  Putting a positive spin on discussions always helps.  Examples:  "If you do your homework you can have electronics, as opposed to "if you don't do your homework, you won't have electronics.  Homework was always an issue with A.C.

Giving a kid choices and options:  Allowing a kid to choose or giving them options gives them a sense of being in control.  Using this tactic worked very well with A.C., and other placements where prior to coming into care they called the shots and lived in an environment with little or no parental authority.  Examples...instead of "go clean your room now" use "clean your room by 5:00;” you can't go to your friend’s house today, but you can go this weekend or one day next week."

Supervision, supervision, supervision:  Knowing where a child is, and what they are doing, whether in the community or at home is a priority.  A.C. required constant supervision. 

 -       Briana Johnson

Foster Family Surveys

We received great overall feedback on our Foster Child Surveys and our Foster Child Surveys. While there is always room for improvement, we received valuable and positive feedback and have already started implementing some of the suggestions mentioned in the surveys. We are always open to suggestions and welcome feedback at any time. If there is anything that you would like to suggest, please reach out to anyone in the TFC department at any time.

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/

Way to Go!

One of our TFC children is graduating in June…congrats to him; the sky is truly the limit...good luck!

A TFC child went to regionals and another TFC child went to state regionals on their track teams. Some of our children and families were nominated for awards at different events.

Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner

We are very excited about our upcoming Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner! The dinner will be held at The Greene Turtle in Aberdeen, MD on June 27th from 6:00-8:30 PM. There will be no childcare provided so please plan accordingly. This will be a fun evening of food, games, prizes, awards, and lots of laughs!

If you have not already done so, please RSVP clicking on the link below:

RSVP Here!

Compliance Rewards

Several of our families are in the running for Compliance Reward gifts including the $25 gift card and our grand prize! Make sure that you remain compliant with parent and child items and come to training whenever possible.

You can earn up to 3 tickets per month. This means that most families can earn a maximum of 9 tickets, dramatically increasing their odds.

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.

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!

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!

Good Luck!

We had a very successful picnic on the last Friday in August. A good time was had by all. There was plenty of food, games, and activities and we are looking forward to our next event. We have great things in store for our foster families!

We would like to wish everyone a happy new school year! What is great about beginning a new school year is that everything essentially starts anew. You will gain new friends, new teachers, new experiences, and new knowledge. We know that you will do very well.

A Forever Home

We would like to welcome our newest team member/recruiter Karen Guilbault. We are excited to have her join our team! Our TFC picnic is coming up soon. It looks like we will have a good turnout.

We have lots of fun with our foster families at The Arc. However, we know that often the goal is to find foster children “forever homes”. Whether it is with their biological families or adopted families, children just want to know that they are loved and have a place to call home.

Watch Jimmy’s story (in the video above) about his awesome foster mom and his journey to find a “forever home”. Do you have a heartwarming story? We’d love to hear about it! 

Summertime Eats

We hope that you are enjoying your summer thus far. Often times, parents are super busy and do not have the energy to cook a huge meal after work. Kids sometimes forget that even though they are off for the summer, their parents are not. Here are some quick and easy recipes that parents can make after work; kids can also make these recipes (as long as it is okay with their parents).

Spaghetti Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Prosciutto

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti

1 red bell pepper

1 medium zucchini

10 asparagus spears

5 slices prosciutto

1 cup basil leaves

1 lemon

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

½ tsp each salt and pepper

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dice zucchini into quarters, halve the bell pepper, and cut asparagus spears into thirds. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 25-20 minutes. Let cool.

• Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook based on box directions. Drain.

• Dice the roasted bell pepper into small diced pieces. Cut the prosciutto into small slices.

• Add the roasted veggies and prosciutto to the pasta.

• In a blender or food processor add the basil, juice from 1 lemon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

• Pulse until smooth for about 30 seconds

• Toss 3/4 the dressing with the salad while the pasta is still warm.

• Mix the remaining 1/4 of dressing in with salad when ready to serve (either that same day or at a later time!)

This recipe and all related images and content can also be found at: "Foodista.com – The Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit".

Click for Foodista.com Recipe

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
3/4 cup organic coconut sugar, Swerve, or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or a bit more if you like them spicy like I do!)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup carrots, grated
1 large apple, grated
3/4 cup raisin or dried fruit of your choice (chop the larger ones into raisin-size pieces)
Optional: 1 cup walnuts or pecans, or a mixture of nuts and seeds, such as sunflower

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. 

• Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla. 

• Add the grated carrots, apples, and raisins. 

• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Be careful to not over mix. Note: the consistency will be more like a dough than a batter.

• Fill muffin cups almost full. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes for regular size muffins or 12-13 minutes for mini muffins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe and all related images and content can also be found at: "Foodista.com – The Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit".

Click for Foodista.com Recipe

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!

TFC Updates!

Thanks to our TFC families who attended the meeting with Shawn and Kevin. We truly appreciate your hard work, dedication, and feedback. Together we can continue enriching the lives of our foster families in order to ensure a brighter future.

UPDATE: We are hosting a TFC picnic for our foster families and prospective foster parents. Be sure to look for our email and let us know which day works best for you. Please respond no later than 7/7/17 via the email link.

Hope to see you there!

Thanks Troop 750!

We would like to thank The Girl Scouts (Troop 750 in Havre De Grace) for their generosity.

 We appreciate their hard work and sacrifice. 

We have already been able to use several of the donated items/bags for our foster children. 

One of our newest children practically came in with nothing. 

Thanks to the Girl Scouts, we were able to provide her with a bag full of clothing and lots of other goodies!

Sometimes, when we volunteer or donate, it is difficult to know whether or not we are making an impact.

 However, thanks to these young ladies and others with giving hearts we can see the impact firsthand.