Yes, children in state custody foster care are, in a very real sense, all “our” children…our responsibility. This highlights one of the biggest challenges we have to overcome. It relates to the following idiom, “If it’s everyone’s responsibility, then it’s no one’s responsibility.” This is mostly true. Why? When it’s also someone else’s responsibility, we let them handle it. If everyone responds this way, no one takes charge.

The antidote to this tendency is for us to be full of compassion. Have you heard that admonition before? Scriptures relate to this often as well as provide other similar encouragements, i.e. be kind, be merciful, be gracious and tenderhearted. What do these have in common? They call upon us to take the concern of those in need personally and get engaged in helping.

We’ve been beating this drum for nearly 60 years now as we continue our outreach to vulnerable children and youth. We are grateful for how so many have joined with us over the years. Even so, there is so much more to do, so many more children and youth in need of homes. We must respond and do more! This is what we are trying to do! Please continue to partner with us as, together, we continue to do something very special for “our” children!

Let me start with the 2 most popular questions. 1. How old do I have to be? 2. Do I have to be married? Whether you’re living the single life or you’re someone’s other half, you can be a foster parent. Unlike Facebook, we’re not too concerned with your relationship status. As for the age requirement, you only need to have reached your 18^th birthday. Whether that happened this last birthday or quite a few birthdays ago is of no consequence: there’s no age limit on loving and caring for a child.

In addition to being at least 18, you must hold a valid California driver’s license to start the process of becoming a foster parent. Ask any parent—if you have kids, you’ll be driving! You don’t need to own your own home (another popular question), but you do need to have enough income to support your household. The foster family reimbursement (yes, foster families do receive financial assistance for the children placed in their care) won’t be taken into consideration when making this calculation. So at least one adult must be employed or have some other sufficient source of income.

Confident that you’ve met those requirements? Give us a call! 1-800-566-2225. No, seriously. That’s how you start the process. We’ll do a phone interview and then have you complete the application packet(s). After that, an Agape rep will perform the initial home inspection and you’ll provide us with copies of a variety of documents. You (and anyone in your house who’s 18 or older) will need to be fingerprinted. You’ll also need a health screening and TB test. To prepare you for your new role as a foster parent, Agape Program Director Cheryl Youngblood will guide you through the Agape Pre-Service Training (formerly “PRIDE”). You’ll need your CPR/First Aid certification and, if you have a body of water on your property, you’ll need to complete a water certification course (Agape offers one free of charge). Finally (whew!), an Agape social worker will conduct a home inspection and interview. That’s the short and sweet version, anyway. This is a basic overview of the process (which averages 6-10 weeks), not a step-by-step guide. Don’t be alarmed/surprised/dismayed when there’s more to the process than what I’ve got here!

Still reading? Good. I saved the most important requirement for last. To be an Agape foster parent, you MUST have a heart for kids. It’s a beautiful and wonderful thing to open your home to a child—bless you for being willing to do it. But bless you a hundred times…bless you a thousand times…bless you for eternity for being ready and willing to open your heart to kids who may never have known what it is to be safe and loved. Or who haven’t known it in so long that they’ve forgotten what it feels like. Bless you for having that heart and for actually using it. We need it. We need you.

Written by Allison Rangel, Agape Foster Parent:

In January of 2013 Dave Roach, our Agape Social Worker, called me about a placement for a 13-month-old little girl. At that time, we had already had a 3 month old and 20 month old in our home. We said “yes!”

When we received this little girl, she was scared, terrified, and screamed most of the time. She came with nothing. Agape was on the ball and the next day dropped off a load of supplies. During the next five months, with prayer, Agape’s help, and our amazing Agape social worker, we watched this little girl turn from fear, panic, and anger to loving, nurturing, joyful, and funny.

We were on the path to adopt her when her family members stepped up to the plate to adopt her. After the due diligence was done, this little girl was removed from our home and placed with her relatives. However, this lasted only for three months. Unexpectedly, we received another call that they would like to place this little girl back in our home with the intention of adoption. Once again, Agape was amazingly on the ball. They helped make the transition of her back into our home go very smoothly by outfitting her, providing age appropriate toys, and most important to her – a blanket.

We could not be the foster parents we are for these children without Agape. We could not provide for these children like we need to without the love and support from Agape. The foster children that have come into our home have all felt the love of their Agape workers and they have returned that love back to them. From our experience, Agape continues to go above and beyond to support their foster families. Thank you, Agape!

A common question people ask is why they should choose Agape Villages, i.e., what makes us different? What can we offer? What support do we provide?

Agape’s support for families begins the moment you start the application process. Our staff will walk you through each step and provide personal, one-on-one follow-up as needed. 

Once you are certified and have a child placed with you, the support continues through a number of services and programs:

• Weekly in-home visits by an Agape social worker
• Monthly Foster Parent/Resource Family support group meetings
• Specialized trainings based on the individual child placed in your home (if needed)
• Clothing Closets which offer a broad selection of items including clothes, toys, strollers, and other supplies (thank you to Sleep Train/Mattress Firm and other generous donors for stocking our closets!)

Additionally, Agape prioritizes our children and we strive to ensure that they get to experience childhood as it should be – a time of fun, learning, nurturing, and enrichment. Agape Villages offers several unique programs for our children. Our Enrichment Program offers families reimbursement (up to $50 per month) for various extracurricular activities for our foster kids. Often, foster children are left out of things like team sports, music lessons, and other opportunities simply due to lack of funding. We do not want our kids to miss those opportunities.

For girls ages 9-21, we offer our Teen Girls Group, a support group that meets bi-monthly and engages our pre-adolescent and teen girls in a variety of activities. It provides a safe space for the girls and lets them connect with others who have gone through similar experiences.

Our Transitional Living Skills program is a semester-long curriculum for teens 15-21 designed to prepare them for independent living after leaving foster care. We cover essential knowledge including interview skills, financial literacy, college applications and financial aid, and more.

Finally, to help cultivate a sense of community and fellowship, we offer two annual events for all foster families and their children. One is the Annual Family Picnic at the beginning of summer, which includes food, entertainment, and music. The other is the Annual Christmas Party which includes games, food, and presents for every child.

This post is merely a brief summary of the support Agape Villages provides, but we hope it gives you some insight as to what you can expect as a foster family with our organization. We strive to provide the very best programs and services to both our families and our children, with the ultimate goal of having every child in a safe, loving and stable home. Please contact us if you would like to learn more, at 800-566-2225.