Editor,
May is Foster Care Month, a time to celebrate the hundreds of foster and kinship foster families in Vermont who provide safe, nurturing homes for children while they can’t be at home. It is with deep appreciation that the Family Services Division of the Department for Children and Families thanks them for their generosity, caring, and willingness to “answer the call,” no matter when it comes.

Thank you for all you do to keep children safe, support parents, and help families stay connected! By opening your hearts and homes to children in need, you help us keep local kids local. Without you, children would have to live outside of their communities and away from their schools and all that’s familiar.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to raise awareness of the need for more foster families. The Barre District Office has an urgent need for families willing and able to care for infants and toddlers, children with special needs, sibling groups and teens. They must also be willing to fully support ongoing visits with the birthparents.

We also need folks who can provide respite care, which is much like foster care but for shorter periods of time. Respite provides foster parents with breaks so they can get things done, relax, and re-energize.

For more information, please contact Chrissy Pollard at 479-4493 or visit us on the web at fostercare.vt.gov.

Christina Pollard, Resource Coordinator
DCF, Family Services – Barre District Office