What I Spent to Adopt My Child

Three families share their adoption stories, illuminating the variety of choices — and costs — involved in the process. By David Dodge. Published Feb. 11, 2020. The New York Times This piece is part of “The Price of Modern Parenting.” Read about the sandwich generation, caring for aging relatives and out-of-pocket expenses for preterm births. Each adoption process shares the same ultimate purpose: … Continue reading What I Spent to Adopt My Child →

Infants and Teens More Likely to Experience Foster Care Reentry

POSTED JANUARY 12, 2020, BY THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION Children who have exited foster care are more likely to return to care if they are infants, in their early teen years or have experienced a group placement before reuniting with their families, according to a new study conducted by the Center for State Child … Continue reading Infants and Teens More Likely to Experience Foster Care Reentry →

‘I killed a lady. … I took everything she had,’ teen told friends after killing his foster mother, sources say

by Chris Palmer, Mike Newall and Allison Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 16, 2020 With a duffel bag of cash and a stolen credit card,17-year-old Xavier Johnson took friends on a shopping spree Wednesday. They drove through West Philadelphia in the car of the foster mother Johnson had allegedly stabbed to death hours before, law enforcement … Continue reading ‘I killed a lady. … I took everything she had,’ teen told friends after killing his foster mother, sources say →

‘We are just destroying these kids’: The foster children growing up inside detention centers

By Emily Wax-Thibodeaux Dec. 30, 2019 The Washington Post Though he's never been convicted of a crime, Geard Mitchell spent part of his childhood in a juvenile detention center, at times sleeping on cement floors under harsh fluorescent lights left on through the night during lockdowns. He attended high school by clicking through online courses and had … Continue reading ‘We are just destroying these kids’: The foster children growing up inside detention centers →

‘Traditional parenting is not going to work’

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dec 16, 2019 CLAYTON — As Geri Brotherton enters the St. Louis County Courthouse on a Wednesday morning in November, her hands are full and her mind is busy. Her husband, a lawyer and a social worker add to at least seven of her children walking beside her. Two … Continue reading ‘Traditional parenting is not going to work’ →

The Wait: Longing for a child and faced with infertility, couple looks to foster care

By YVONNE WENGER THE BALTIMORE SUN DEC 12, 2018 | 9:15 AM Without a hint of alarm, the doctor told me to go ahead and sit up on the exam table. The procedure was finished. I stared at the white-and-gray image on the X-ray monitor. The physician tried to gently explain what was wrong with me. Walking back … Continue reading The Wait: Longing for a child and faced with infertility, couple looks to foster care →