Articles Index

Preparing Your Child for Contact with Birth Family
While it can be a tricky arraignment, an open adoption is often in the child's best interest. However there are pros and cons to choosing an open adoption and your child must be prepared.

Reluctant to Be a Dad
Some men are afraid to become an adoptive or foster parent. How to help your man ease into fatherhood.

How to Create a Safety Plan
How to create a safety plan when children have unsafe behaviors within your home. Learn how to keep your family safe with a safety plan.

8 Ways to Make Time for Your Foster or Adopted Child
Dads are busy guys and busy guys have it rough trying to make time for kids. Sometimes they forget that they are needed in their children's lives. Stay involved and know that your kids need you and show your children that you care by making time for kids.

Halloween for First Time Foster/Adoptive Parents and Kids
Preparing for your first Haloween as a foster or adoptive parent. Helping foster children get ready for their first trick-or-treating experience. Halloween can be fun but scary for foster or adopted children.

To Add a Child or Not to Add a Child - Timing May be the Answer
Foster and adoptive parents need to discuss many factors before deciding if it is the right time to add a child to the family. A time of many transitions may signal that it is the wrong time for a family.

How to Support Your Foster Parenting Child
How should you support your child as a foster parent? Many grandparents don't like the idea of their children becoming foster parents, but how can a grandparent be supportive?

Cultural Bedtime Stories for Interracial Adoptive/Foster Families
Stories to read to your children at bedtime for a time of bonding and learning about different cultures.

Elements that Impact a Foster or Adopted Child's Grief
What may impact a foster or adopted child's grief? His age? The amount of support before or after a traumatic event? Learn more and grief and loss in children.

Holiday Survival with Foster or Adopted Children
Discover tips and clues to getting through the holidays with your foster or adopted children. Holidays are stressful, but with foster and/or adopted children there are other issues and concerns that may pop up.

What Is a Safety Plan?
What is a safety plan and why are they used within foster homes? Learn some of the reasons why foster and adoptive families implement safety plans.

Skin Conditions and Children of Color
Skin care conditions and issues to be aware of when fostering or adopting children of other races. Read about black and Asian skin care. These are important issues within interracial adoptions and foster care.

Preparing Your Children for Foster Care or Adoption
How to prepare your children for foster care as well as welcome new foster and adopted children into your family.

15 Ways to Be a Grandparent to a Foster or Newly Adopted Child
[p]If you are a grandparent, then it's because you were a parent at some point. More than likely you watched your child grow up from an infant. You learned what your child liked and disliked. Now you are thrown into the situation of being a grandparent to a foster child or a newly adopted child; a child you don't know. How do you begin being a grandparent to this child? Here are 15 ways to start a grandparent/grandchild relationship with a new foster or adopted child.[/p]

Paperwork Needed for Enrollment of an Adopted or Foster Child
Knowing what to bring to a school enrollment of a new student when one has never done it before can be confusing. Find what you need before going back-to-school for enrollment of your newly adopted or foster child.

10 Things to Do Before Sending a Foster or Adopted Child Back-to-School
Are you ready to go back-to-school? How do you enroll a foster child into school? While every school is different the same information is needed. Are there other things to consider in getting ready to start a new school? Here is a checklist of things to do to get ready to go back-to-school for your new foster child or adopted child.

Public vs. Private: Which School Choice Is Better for Your Adopted Child?
It's time to make a school choice. So, when it comes to making the decision between a public or private school, the choice is really depending on your child's needs and has very little to do with your child's status as an adopted child or a former foster child. Which school choice will you make this year?

Potty Training and Foster Care
Potty training a foster child can be a challenge, but also may present a wonderful opportunity of bonding and co-parenting with the birth family. Learn some things to think about when starting the potty training process.

Avoiding Child Abuse in Times of Stress
Coping skills for parents for times of stress and depression. Avoid child abuse with a few simple tips.

Caring for Your African American or Biracial Child's Hair
Learn how to care for African American hair. Simple steps to African American hair care.

Understanding Grief and Loss in Children
Children in adoption or foster care experience the grief and loss of their birth families. Learn more about the grief and loss in children.

Snow Day Activities for Foster or Adopted Children
So you just read the announcement on the news, it's a snow day. The kids are cheering and you're thinking of all the things you need to get done today. What are you going to do with your foster children or adopted children on a snow day? Here are some ideas for snow day activities for foster or adopted children.

Tis the Season to be Curly
Mahisha Dellinger, founder of Curls, gives basic steps to great looking African American Hair during the winter. Learn quick tips to healthy African American Hair.

4 Tips to Stop Bullying and Bias Before it Happens
Deb Capone is our newest guest author on About Adoption & Foster Care. She brings us a great article featuring tips to stop bullying at school. Bullying is an adoption issue due to the fact that experts find that common causes of bullying are rooted in diversity: racial differences, differences in family formation/structure, perceived sexual orientation, learning disabilities, and religious differences. Many adoptions cross cultural and racial lines. Get great tips to stop bullying now.

Adoption & Foster Care Medical Terminology
A listing of diagnosis that may affect foster children or adopted children. Links leading to more information.

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