Home Supports

Social Networks

As much as you want your child to be successful academically, she needs to have social connections to maintain motivation in the classroom. Provide the opportunity for extra-curricular activities or socialization outside of school. In their social network, include and encourage contact with their biological family (if appropriate).

School Supplies

This support may sound silly and a bit obvious, but because your child may be entering a new school in the middle of the year, knowing what supplies to get will require you to communicate with her teacher(s). Shopping together for these items could also provide a natural way to bond and find out your child’s interests.

***Helpful Tip***

No matter what age of children you plan to foster, keep some extra duffle bags or backpacks on hand. Most children don't come to your home with anything or if they do, they do not have a bag to put it in. Having an extra bag can help give a child a sense of belonging, if only for their stuff. That bag can become a safe spot for them.

Flexibility

Give a foster child time to settle into a school routine. Don’t panic if it’s hard for your child to get ready to go to school on time or complete homework. Work with your child to establish school as a priority, but don’t expect it to happen overnight. They have already seen much bigger concerns in their life than completing homework on time, so viewing school as a priority will not happen until the volatility of life subsides into a more stable environment and routine. Reward progress as it comes, but be careful not to make academic success a requirement for acceptance in your home.

Routine Establishment

Establish a family routine that prizes education. Take time in the evenings to talk about the school day. Give guidance on how to complete homework. Provide a calendar or planner to allow your child to be as independent as possible and take ownership of his schoolwork. As you work to create a family routine that will help your child succeed in the classroom, remember to be flexible. Just because your schedule worked one month doesn’t mean it’s going to work the next. Every family, not just foster families, go through seasons of different needs; sometimes foster families’ seasons tend to shift more rapidly. Be ready to adjust as needed.

School Visit

If at all possible, tour the school before the first day of attendance. For elementary-aged kids, see if it would be possible to meet the classroom teacher together. If a child isn’t comfortable at school, he will not be able to learn. Usually, most moves in foster care are sudden, so if you can make a school transition planned, then that could go a long way in giving a foster child a more level playing field, so to speak, in his educational experience.