2019 is almost here! Are you searching for a New Year resolution but aren’t exactly sure what you should resolve to do? Do you love children and think they deserve to be cared for in a safe and nurturing home? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you should consider becoming a foster parent to one (or more) of the thousands of children who are currently in foster care in Washington state.

What’s that you say? You’d love to foster but fear you would get too attached to the children in your care and it would break your heart for them to leave? If you feel that way, you are EXACTLY the kind of person that is wanted/needed to become a foster parent! The children in foster care deserve caregivers who love and attach to them, because that love and attachment is one element that helps the children heal from the traumas they have endured in their lives.

How exactly does one become a foster parent? In order to become a foster parent, one must do the following: 1) complete a foster parent orientation (in-person or online); 2) complete a 24-hour training course called Caregiver Core Training (in-person or online); 3) complete CPR/First Aid/Bloodborne Pathogens training; 4) fill out an application and complete the other forms needed by the Department of Licensing and Regulations; 5) pass a home study.

These requirements may seem overwhelming at first, but everything is doable within a reasonable amount of time. FosteringWA staff are available to help guide/support you through every step of the licensing process. Would you like to talk with someone at FosteringWA about becoming a foster parent? Please contact Hayley Stoebner, Recruitment Coordinator for Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Adams Counties at 509-322-1191 or at hstoebner@ewu.edu.