MAY 2022 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 3
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May is National Foster Care Month and a time to recognize the value of families, volunteers, and professionals who step up to care for children and youth needing temporary placement before family reunification. It’s also an excellent time to learn more about foster care and take the first step toward becoming a foster parent. Weld County offers foster care orientation twice a month for Weld County residents interested in learning more about foster care and certification. No matter the length of stay, caring foster parents can rest assured they’ve made a difference in the life of a child, youth, or sibling group. When communities don’t have enough foster homes, things spiral downward for children and families.
Let’s raise the bar in Weld County to ensure that every child or youth in need has a safe place to land during hard times. Our greatest needs are families who can foster older children, teens, sibling groups, and children and youth with special needs. We’ll focus on teens in this issue and hopefully inspire more families to consider fostering older children and teenagers! We’ll also spotlight Foster Source, one of our many valuable partners, serving Weld County foster families and their kids.
Thank you for your interest and involvement in helping at-risk children, youth, and families through foster care! Together, we can make a difference for some of the most vulnerable in our community.
Kristy
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May is Foster Care Month in Weld County
On Monday, May 2, the Weld County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed May Foster Care Month in Weld County. Read about the proclamation celebration by visiting the news section of weldgov.com.
Thank you to those of you who joined us!
Weld County Foster/Kinship/Adoption Support Group
Thursday, May 19, 2022 & June 16, 2022
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Department of Human Services, Bldg. A
315 N 11th Ave, Greeley, Colo.
Groups are held the third Thursday of the month. Parent Café model support to strengthen families. Dinner and childcare are provided! Register here: https://www.weldgov.com/Government/Departments/Human-Services/Family-Resource/Foster-Adoption-and-Kinship-Support-Group.
Questions? Contact John Killen, (970) 400-6239.
Foster Family Appreciation BBQ
 Thursday, June 14, 2022
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Island Grove Large Pavilion
Greeley, CO 80631
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
Summer: June 7 - August 2, 2022
Fall: September 6 - October 25, 2022
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
TBRI is an attachment-focused, evidence-based parenting and intervention model. It is trauma-informed intervention that is specifically designed for parents and caregivers of children who come from “hard places.” Weld County requires foster parents to attend TBRI within their first year of fostering.
Click here to register https://us.openforms.com/Form/b67db40f-d44d-49a2-99fd-debce48dfa29
Questions? Contact Kate Wurtz, (970) 400-6360.
Pillars of Successful Independence (PSI)
Support for foster and kinship youth to gain the skills needed to prepare for their future independence. Services include summer employment, comprehensive guidance/counseling, career exploration, field trips, workshops, mentoring, money management skills, leadership skills, follow-up services.
Contact Jasmin Dominguez at (970) 301-1587 or jdominguez@weldgov.com.
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Are you interested in fostering? Register for an orientation to learn more about foster care and the certification process.
Upcoming orientations:
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Wednesday, May 18, 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Department of Human Services, Bldg. B, 315 11th Ave., Greeley, CO 80631.
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Wednesday, May 25, 4:30-6:00 p.m. at Foundations Church, 1159 Main Street, Windsor, CO 80550.
We hope to meet you at one of our upcoming meetings! For more information and to register for an orientation, please visit www.weldgov.com/go/fostercare. In the meantime, please reach out if you have any questions.
Have you already attended orientation? Your next step is to submit the pre-application and sign up for pre-certification training.
Upcoming Pre-Certification Training Options:
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COHORT 6
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Tuesdays, June 7 - July 26, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. (Windsor)
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COHORT 7
- Friday, July 8 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. (Zoom)
- Saturday, July 9, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Rocky Mountain Christian Church, Frederick)
- Saturday, July 16, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Rocky Mountain Christian Church, Frederick)
Contact Kristy DeAnda deandakr@weldgov.com or (970)-400-6849.
Referral Incentives Don’t forget! Weld County foster parents can refer a family, up to five per calendar year, and receive $100 upon placement (more for families who take in teens). Referred family must name you at inquiry or by their orientation. Have your friends and family visit www.weldgov.com/go/fostercare for more information and to register for orientation.
Foster Source
Recently, Foster Source helped serve 80 foster and non-certified kinship families from Weld County for a distribution event! Families received family-sized freezer meals from High Country Catering, diapers and wipes, and many other supplies from the community.
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Want to know more about Foster Source? Foster Source serves foster and kinship parents so they can foster with confidence and help children in care heal. Services include support groups, training, relief services, and therapeutic services. Check out some photos from the distribution event and visit their website https://fostersource.org/ for more information!
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Not All Screen Time is Created Equally
 Even when focused on the QUALITY of screen time over the QUANTITY though, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a few additional guidelines to consider:
- Keep devices out of children’s bedrooms at bedtime.
- Avoid screens for one hour before bedtime
- Ensure children are getting eight hours of sleep and one hour of physical activity each day
- Help children prioritize their time to reach their academic, social, and health goals. The media time calculator from the American Academy of Pediatrics can help!
Source: https://www.pta.org/home/programs/connected/the-smart-talk#families
National PTA.orgConnected.
Weld County is proud to partner with Realities for Children, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, to collect monetary and item donations for our children and teens in foster care. Your gift provides emergency funding to Weld County youth who have been abused, neglected or are at-risk. All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of your donation goes directly to help our children and teens in foster care. Click here for more information.
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