Monday, March 18, 2019

Diversity and Inclusion


Ohio PTA Celebrates the Children in Foster Care during the month of March.  

You might not realize it but your school has foster children in it! That’s right! Over 16,000 children are in foster care in Ohio on any given day. Foster care could mean living with relatives or non related foster parents.  Many grandparents are now the guardians of their grandchildren.  The opioid epidemic has created a need for more foster parents.  There are about 9,000 kids in Ohio today waiting for a foster family.

What can you do to help children and families in foster care?  You can provide family engagement opportunities that create bonding, attachment, and trust within all families.  Many foster children experience gaps in education from disruptions in their lives.  It is important to help families close those gaps through the school community.  Foster families are not just temporary families caring for a child’s daily needs but families that are helping a child experience love and creating a sense of community around the child.  PTA should be a part of that community .  Encourage foster parents to be members of PTA. They are parents too! They are stakeholders at your school just as much as you are. Consider the language you use in flyers sent home and the families you picture. Instead of using just mom or dad, you could add grandparents or just use the word grown-up.  Show support by helping with homework, having playdates, dropping off dinner, and sharing love.  The foster child is a child that should be celebrate because all kids are important!



Are you interested in being a foster parent?  Check out these FAQs from Ohio.gov

https://fosterandadopt.jfs.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/ofc/ohio-childcare-needs/resources/frequently-asked-questions


Ohio.gov has webpage devoted to foster care and adoption:

https://fosterandadopt.jfs.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/ofc/

The Ohio Department of Education has a webpage with helpful links for parents with foster children or how you can help! Links include information on guidance, presentations, and resources.
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/District-and-School-Continuous-Improvement/Foster-Care

Articles to read include

THE OHIO COLLEGES OF MEDICINE GOVERNMENT RESOURCE CENTER            https://grc.osu.edu/blog/OCTF   Ohio’s Children in the Midst of the Opioid Crisis


Did you know National PTA  is planning on a Foster Care Symposium: “How Your PTA Can Support Foster Youth in Your Schools” at this year’s convention right here in Columbus Ohio?
                        Plan to Attend this incredible opportunity this June!


Books about kids in foster care- Links to amazon.com
Synopsis from Amazon.com

Kids Need to Be Safe: A Book for Children in Foster Care (Kids Are Important)



“Kids are important… They need safe places to live, and safe places to play.” For some kids, this means living with foster parents. In simple words and full-color illustrations, this book explains why some kids move to foster homes, what foster parents do, and ways kids might feel during foster care. Children often believe that they are in foster care because they are “bad.” This book makes it clear that the troubles in their lives are not their fault; the message throughout is one of hope and support. Includes resources and information for parents, foster parents, social workers, counselors, and teachers. -Amazon.com




A Family For Sammy - A story to help explain Foster Care to young kids

By Jan Levinson Gilman
This book has been designed for parents,teachers,carers and social workers to read with children who are about to begin the process of Foster Care. The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Sammy, who is himself going through the Foster Care process. He refers to feelings of fear and doubt about his holiday to another family, but he is delighted to find that his new family are kind, caring and have time to have fun with him! By the time Sally the social worker comes to collect him he is feeling happy and safe in his new home. He returns to his family to find them happier than they had been when he left, and positive that he will have no fear of returning to a similar holiday family. By reading this story with your child, and discussing the experience of a child in a similar situation, the parent/social worker can enforce the fact that a holiday to a short-term foster family is a positive thing. It is something that children shouldn’t fear, but in fact, look forward to! It also reassures them that when the holiday is over they will be returning to their families, and that it is not a permanent move.  -Amazon.com