Why Fostering Might Be For You

Deciding to take the first step in becoming a foster parent can be an incredible tough decision. Maybe you’ve been dreaming about it for years, maybe it’s been a “when the time is right” thought. Maybe, even, you’ve seen something on TV (This Is Us, anyone) that made you think you might be able to be a foster parent.

You’re thinking about foster care because you care about children and you want to help them. You know that there are thousands of children in your state (there are over 13,000 children in foster care in Missouri) in need of a safe, loving, and temporary home.

Fostering might be for you if you know that you can provide stability for a child who has been affected by trauma. You know that you can be firm when needed but provide a safe place for a child to heal and grow.

Fostering might be for you if you know that you want to strengthen a child’s family and your own community. You know that loving a child and having them return to their biological family is incredibly tough, but you know that a child could heal safely and grow after being in your home.

Fostering might be for you if you’re an empty nester with more love to give. Fostering might be for you if you’re a young family with little kids still at home, who know that you could be a temporary parent and provide a family for children waiting for their forever family. You might be a married couple with no children, or a single person who has never been a parent.

If any of those reasons resonate with you and you think fostering might be for you, we urge you to meet our staff and learn more about what it’s like being a foster parent. We offer monthly no pressure, no commitment informational sessions to help you decide if you’d be a good fit. Visit www.goodshepherdstl.org/foster to learn more about how to take the first steps.