Placing infants and toddlers in loving, stable and committed foster homes throughout Santa Barbara County

September 2015 Newsletter

One morning this week I sat in the Juvenile Court lobby along with approximately 40 other people. Parents, children of all ages, grandparents and various relatives, other social workers, foster parents, and CASAs. Everyone arrived at the same time, 8:30 am, and waited for their turn, for a name or names to be called over the loud speaker.

For some, it was their first time at court and waiting; they had many questions and emotions ran high. Others have been there many times before and sat stoically, knowing that checking the posted court calendar is pointless and "cases" are called when they are called. Attorneys darted in and out of the lobby, bringing in clients for quick conferences. There were tears, whispers, heated conversations, laughter, talk of reunification and fears of failure, complaints of hunger, boredom or illness, and some joyful faces. Some people were waiting for anticipated happy news, others knowing their lives were about to change in a final and unfathomable way. The energy of the room was charged and strange and unlike any other place.

As time passed, the woman sitting next to me and I began making casual conversation. She then shared a bit more; she was there for a hearing regarding her two children and was uncertain what was going to happen. She asked if I was a foster parent and when I told her I was not, rather a FFA social worker, she had a lot of questions. I explained about Angels and how the program works. When I finished, she simply said, "So, it lets kids be kids without being in the middle of this garbage or moving around...that's great."

I had to agree with her. It is pretty great that in the midst of crisis and often chaos, I know the little ones welcomed into Angels homes are being sheltered from the unknown and uncertainty, allowing each child to feel secure, to trust, and to grow into their beautifully delightful selves. It is also pretty great that when people hear about the Angels model it just makes sense to them and is easy to stand behind.

As the names my lobby neighbor had been waiting for were called, I wished her well and she started to leave. She turned, quickly said "thank you for what the program does," and hurried off. I was touched and grateful. And in turn, I pass along her thanks to you, as a supporter of Angels Foster Care for without you each, Angels would not be able continue to thrive and grow. Many thanks!

-Jennifer Mills, LCSW

Operations Director

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Newly Certified Families - none to report this month.

New Placements: Thank you to Sara and Eric for welcoming a baby girl and Cindy and Wally for accepting a toddler boy placement. Both families reside in North Santa Barbara County.

Recent Adoptions: no new adoptions to report this month.

Thank you to our amazing foster families for opening their homes to Angels children!

Zero to Three - California State Baby Facts

The clearest way to envision what the future holds for California is to look at its babies. They tell us an important story of what it is currently like to be a very young child in this state and the important resources that can change the future life course for the many children who are not getting off to the best start.

Here are some 2015 statistics:

24% of California's infants and toddlers live below the Federal Poverty Level.

Strong Families:

47% of Calif. children ages 0-3 are poor or near poor.

28% of maltreated children in Calif. are under age 3.

24% of children under age 3 experience residential mobility.

11% of Calif. children under age 6 have no parent in the labor force.

Early Learning Experiences:

39% have parents or family members who read to their 0-5 child each day.

49% have parents or family members who tell stories and sing to their 0-5 child each day.

28% of Calif. children 4 mos-5 years are determined to be at moderate or high risk for developmental or behavioral problems.

Health Care

80% of babies are born to mothers receiving early prenatal care.

7% of babies are born with low birth weights.

9% of babies are born preterm.

78% of 2-year-olds are fully immunized.

from Zero to Three

FOSTER PARENTS OF THE MONTH

Jen & Adam

of South Santa Barbara County

Angels is very appreciative of the time you have spent working as foster parents, and the love and support you have given your Angels child!

WHAT'S COMING UP

5th Annual PEP TOUCH-A-TRUCK

Sunday, September 20, 9:30-2pm

Santa Barbara City College

West Campus

Imagine all kinds of trucks, construction equipment and public safety vehicles that kids can explore. This fun event has it all! Stop by and visit the Angels booth and say hello.

4th Annual Chalk Festival

Saturday, September 26, 10 - 5 pm

Historic Old Town Orcutt

Once again, Angels Foster Care is in the middle of the fun and will have an information booth at this unique festival. Stop by to visit while you are enjoying the delightful works of art done in chalk.

Angels Foster Parent Pre-Certification Training

The fall is a great time to submit your paperwork in order to be considered for our early 2016 training class. Avoid the holiday rush and get started now! Note that pre-screening and certain paperwork are required before prospective foster parents may enroll in parent training classes. Please contact Social Worker Stacy Peterson at speterson@angelsfostercare.org as soon as you are ready to begin the process.

HOW TO SUPPORT ANGELS

Contribute to our 2105 Endowment Campaign

Support Angels far into the future and provide financial stability to the agency as the fund grows and pays out profits annually to support Angels' work. Our goal this year is to bring in $50,000 to qualify us for matching funds. Make a personal contribution, have your business donate a portion of sales or host a small gathering to secure further contributions. Contact Executive Director Meichelle Arntz to get started!

Sign up for Amazon Smile to benefit Angels

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Angels Foster Care every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same prices, selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to Angels. All you need to do is visit http://smile.amazon.com on your computer or mobile device and select Angels as your designee. Register now and your future Amazon purchases will benefit Angels!

BULLETIN BOARD

Angels Continuing Education Reminder

All currently certified Foster Parents have been issued new credits online for 2015! Please log in to your FosterParentCollege.com account to access your credits. 10 hours of online education must be completed annually for all Foster Parents certified through Angels.

Angels Library

We have many useful books on parenting in our South County office library. Please stop by to browse our resources or contact your social worker if you would like us to select a book for you on a specific topic.

Out & About in the Community

We're available to speak throughout Santa Barbara County about Angels Foster Care and the urgent need for foster homes. If you know of a local club, group, church or synagogue that would like an Angels presentation, please contact Ellen for South County opportunities or contact Kelly for any events or projects in North County.