“He gets bored easily.” “She’s always asking me to play with her.” “He has trouble finding something to do and then just bothers …
Regulation
When we welcome a child into our home through foster care, our primary job in those early days is to work on cultivating felt-safety in …
Why Traditional Parenting Might Not Work
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care Before we take a look at new ways of engaging our children during moments of behavioral challenge, we first have to acknowledge that the parenting playbook for our children will likely need to look different...
Seven Risk Factors
The Karyn Purvis Institute for Child Development recognizes 7 risk factors for our children that can adversely affect their development …
Life After Placement
What life might need to look like after saying YES and welcoming a new child? When you invite a child to join your family, you become …
Back to School
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care When my boys first came to me, they were several grade levels behind academically. Their records indicated they had missed a substantial amount of the previous school year and from what I could tell, homework and...
Supporting our Children after a New Placement
by Ashley Bennett, Director of Trauma-Informed Care If you're reading this resource, you might be looking for ways to prepare your children to become a foster family. Or you might have already said YES and a new child's entrance into your family may have shaken the...
Visit Days
We all know birth family visits can bring out lots of big feelings for our kids. For some, there is happiness and anticipation. But …
Say It With Scripts
Have you ever thought, "Maybe I use too many words when I talk to my children?" If so, you are in good company! Adults use talk as their primary way of communicating, but it's not so with our children. They have an entirely different language of communication. Check...
Seeing the Need Behind the Behavior
The routine was off this morning. I knew that it was. M and I usually have some time alone together in the mornings but this morning a …