No cost ticket opportunities for kids
Tickets for Kids
To show appreciation for our foster, adoptive and kinship parents, we're partnering with Tickets for Kids to bring you family-friendly events — at no cost!
View events at Tickets for Kids Public Events including sports, arts and culture, museums, outdoor activities, entertainment and more. We will also let you know about last-minute opportunities as they arise.
How to get tickets
Email Amber Fogel (amber.fogel@hennepin.us) with the following information:
- Which opportunity you are requesting tickets for
- Preferred date, if applicable
- How many adult tickets you are requesting
- How many youth tickets you are requesting
- Ages of youth
Requesting tickets does NOT mean that you will receive them. Amber Fogel will be in contact to confirm if tickets are available. If tickets are not available, Amber will work with you to transfer your ticket request to another event. The first time you receive tickets you will be asked to sign the Chaperone’s Letter of Agreement.
Expectations for participation
We are pleased to share this amazing opportunity with you! To ensure that we can continue to request tickets from Tickets for Kids, please follow the expectations for participating:
- Do not contact venues or donors if you need to make any changes to your ticket request. Only notify Amber Fogel as soon as possible if you need to cancel or make any changes to a ticket request.
- Use tickets properly. Tickets are not to be sold or given to others.
- Make every effort to use all assigned tickets to each event.
- Ensure all individuals attending the event with you behave in an orderly manner and follow the venue’s code of conduct, rules, and policies.
- Notify Amber Fogel immediately if any incidents take place during an event.
- Submit a post-event evaluation to Amber Fogel within four (4) days following the event, including at least 2-3 sentences of feedback about your experience.
If these expectations are not met, you may not be able to continue requesting tickets.
If you have any questions or are ready to request tickets, please contact Amber Fogel via email or call 612-900-5769. We look forward to hearing about the great opportunities you will experience!
Summer learning and Twins tickets
Visit Hennepin County Library for summer learning, books and events!
If you live in Hennepin County, you can sign up for free Twins tickets.
You must live in Hennepin County to enter the drawings.
Tips for back to school
School is just around the corner and making the transition can be hard. After schedules have relaxed a bit, it can be difficult to wake up early and get back into routine.
Tips for getting kids ready for back to school
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Back-to-school checkups
Late summer is often busy with buying school supplies and finding new school clothes. This year, add scheduling your child-in-care's health check to your back-to-school list. It is recommended children in foster care see their primary care provider twice a year. Once a child is of school age, some refer to the well-child visit as a school physical.
The importance of a back-to-school health checks
- Catch any problems early before returning to school
- Make sure the child is up to date with their shots
- Discuss safety, such as wearing a bike helmet, seat belts or other safety needs
- Discuss any concerns you may have about the child's health or development
Get the most out of your visit. Be prepared and write down any questions or concerns that you might have about your child-in-care's health or development. By scheduling a health check, you are not only protecting the child's well-being, but also the health of those around you.
Dental checkups are important too. Don't forget to schedule a dental visit for children in care.
If you have questions about the health of children or youth in your care, we can help!
The Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) staff are experienced in finding medical and dental clinics. We can help schedule appointments and set up transportation and interpreters, when needed.
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Questions? Call or email us today!
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Support for foster parents, from foster parents
As a foster parent, you know that caring for children in transition and crisis can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Hennepin County now has a peer support program for relative and kin foster parents who are looking for some extra support in caring for children and navigating the child welfare system.
Peer Support Parents are not county staff. They are experienced foster providers who understand the challenges you may be experiencing and can offer you personalized guidance and support, like:
Help finding community resources
- Mental health services
- Support networks
- Medical services
- Educational supports
Emotional support and relationships
- Creating healthy boundaries with children’s family members and parents
- Approaches that focus on children’s best interests
- Parenting methods
- De-escalation strategies
System navigation
- Roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in a case
- Understanding the licensing process
Peer Support Parents can work with any relative or kin foster provider. If you are interested in connecting with a Peer Support Parent, talk to your licensing social worker or contact Mai Vang at 612-384-2225 or mai.vang@hennepin.us.
Foster care family picnic
Another successful picnic in the books! Thank you to everyone who attended. It was great seeing so many families.
Thank you Valeo's Pizza for an amazing lunch!
We couldn't have done it without the help of great volunteers from Medtronic and staff from Hennepin County foster care and adoption.
Shout out to Child and Teen Checkups, Minnesota Zoo, Wraparound Services, Family Response Stabilization Services, Queer Space Collective and the Richfield Fire Department for the great resources!
Get to know MAPCY social workers
MAPCY: Minnesota Assessment of Parenting for Children and Youth
MAPCY is the assessment tool used by county and tribal social services agencies to determine monthly payment amounts for children placed in foster care.
The MAPCY tool looks specifically at what the child’s needs are and what the provider is doing to meet those needs.
There is a set basic payment for most children entering into care that is based on the child’s age, food, clothing, shelter, and supervision needs.
The MAPCY assessment is utilized to determine if the child is eligible for supplemental payments to meet the extra needs of a child.
The MAPCY team completes assessments and re-assessments for children in placement.
The MAPCY unit consists of 4 MAPCY Coordinator Social Workers: Natasha Gutierrez, Kadar Hadis, Ganame Bati, and Lena Bessas. They each coordinate a team of around 6 Child Protection and Children’s Social Worker units.
MAPCY assessments are an important part of the work done in supporting our foster families.
Natasha Gutierrez
How long have you been in this role and what drew you to the field of foster care? Almost ten years. I came to Hennepin County in July of 2014 and worked for six months as a Child Social Worker, then applied to the MAPCY unit. Prior to coming to Hennepin County, I worked for a private agency as a contracted case manager with Hennepin.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? I enjoy being able to comfort the foster parents when they are feeling overwhelmed with their job. The MAPCY assessors are one of the first contacts after a child is placed, so if there are frustrations on the part of the foster parent, I try to help out as much as I can. I try to keep an open ear, listen, and support them in any way possible.
What is the most common question or misconception you hear about the MAPCY assessment? When the foster parent or worker is asking if a reassessment can be done, the answer is yes, if there are significant changes to the support needed. This means that two or more areas must have increased support from the foster parent. A misconception is that when changes are made to the MAPCY assessment, there will be automatic changes to the payment level. However, the MAPCY level does not always increase which means the payment will not increase.
Outside of work, what are some things you enjoy doing? I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling. I am married and we have four children ranging in ages from 15 to age four. We make travel plans at least twice a year and like to go to places such as Florida, Mexico, and Colorado. These are some of the recent trips we have made with our family.
Visit MAPCY, or contact your licensing worker for more information.
Help us find a family for Angel
As foster parents, you know that most children in foster care return home to their families. Some are adopted by relatives or by their foster parents.
When these options aren’t possible, kids need loving and supportive adoptive families. Many waiting children in Hennepin County are school-age or teens, or part of a sibling group. Help us spread the word and find permanent families for these youth. We are in need of loving families, like yours, who are willing to be a mentor, respite provider, foster family, or adoptive resource for these youth.
Meet Angel
Angel is a happy and calm teenager. He has been described as "mischievous in a fun, goofy way." Angel is helpful and likes to organize, sort, and clean up. He loves school and has strong connections with his peers. And, like a typical teen, he enjoys spending time alone in his room. Angel has previous experience helping care for dogs and horses.
Angel would enjoy having pets in the home. A family that speaks Spanish would be ideal.
Angel will need to maintain a relationship with his siblings.
"Angel is one of the most goofy and affectionate teens I know. He is always smiling and loves to give hugs. Angel's favorite people in the world are his two older brothers," said Angel's adoption worker, Suzanna.
"Angel is such a happy kid and everyone that gets to know him just loves him. He is gentle and kind and likes to laugh. His smile lights up the room," said Angel's Child-Specific Recruiter, Michelle.
Please reach out to foster.adopt@hennepin.us if you are interested in learning more about Angel!
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Receive training credit: take the Essentials quiz
Once you have read the Essentials, take the Essentials quiz to earn one hour of training credit. We will forward the quiz to your worker once we have received it.
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