WASHINGTON, May 6, 2019 — May is National Foster Care Month, designated by Congress as a time to recognize the many people who support the well-being of children in foster care. Congress will also establish National Foster Family Appreciation Day on May 31 which provides an opportunity to publicly thank the many amazing foster families around the country who help children in foster care heal and thrive.
For the second year in a row, the CHAMPS campaign is leading a national effort to plan activities and events to honor foster families throughout the month of May, and specifically on May 31, National Foster Family Appreciation Day. This important day provides an opportunity to give special thanks to the many amazing foster families around the country who help children in foster care heal and thrive. In addition to caring for children, these parents play important roles as coaches and mentors to birth families. They also support the child’s transition to a permanent family, which may be through reunification, adoption or guardianship.
CHAMPS, which stands for Children Need Amazing Parents, is a national campaign to support and strengthen quality foster parenting through policy change at the national, state and local levels.
Throughout the month of May, CHAMPS will be publicly highlighting and thanking foster families through Facebook, Twitter and our website using #ThanksFosterFamilies. To support this effort, CHAMPS has launched a foster family story page featuring wonderful foster families from across the country. These stories, submitted by foster families, social workers, former foster youth and others, are shareable through social media and highlight and thank the many families who step up for children.
Follow along with #ThanksFosterFamiliies, and learn more about the amazing families who step forward when children are in crisis, and the policies that could help them. Contact us to see how you or YOUR organization can join CHAMPS in thanking foster families.