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February 2023 Issue:
 History
Each February, Black History Month honors the achievements, culture, and history of Black Americans. It is an opportunity to recognize where systemic racism persists, and give visibility to the people and organizations creating change.
The month-long observance began in 1926 as a week-long event created by Carter G. Woodson, known as the "father of Black History" and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASAALH). During the 1960s, the week-long observance became a month-long celebration on many college campuses. Since 1976, February has been officially designated as Black History Month.
Terminology
Learning and using accurate terms encourages cultural understanding and sensitivity. Here are a few of the most common:
Black: People of African descent, no matter their nationality.
African-American: Refers to people born in the United States and have African ancestry.
People of Color: originally meant to be a synonym of "Black," but its meaning has expanded to accommodate Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other non-white groups.
Books
When children and youth are placed into foster care, away from parents, siblings, and extended family—they can lose their cultural identity. That is why supporting, encouraging, and honoring a child’s race, ethnicity, and culture is so important. While this may seem hard, one way to support a strong cultural identity is through literacy!
Her are three books we recommend:
- The 1619 Project - Born on the Water | Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renee Watson.
- The ABCs of Black History | Rio Cortez
- Young, Gifted, and Black | Jamia Wilson
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Join Us to Learn More About:
- Adoption Support program
- Eligibility and application process
- Benefits available through the program
Adoption Support Information Sessions occur the first Wednesday of every month.
Pick the time slot that works best for your schedule.
12-1 p.m. | Meeting Registration - Zoom
6-7 p.m. | Meeting Registration - Zoom
DCYF has created a new guide: Who to Contact – Resources for Foster Parents and Kinship Caregivers, in response to feedback from caregivers!
The guide includes sections on:
- Getting support,
- Placement
- Permanency
- Licensing
- well-being (education and medical topics)
We hope you find it helpful and are grateful for any suggestions you might have about how future versions of the guide can be improved.
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The Department of Children, Youth, and Families is seeking a child or youth to throw out the ceremonial first pitch during the 2023 We Are Family Day Mariners ballgame at T-Mobile Park.
To be eligible, the child or youth must:
- have experienced foster care during the past twelve months
- No baseball expertise is required; however, the identified young person needs to be prepared to stand in front of a packed stadium and throw the first pitch from the pitching mound to home plate
If you know a child or youth that would like to be considered to throw the Mariners’ first pitch in honor of We Are Family Day, please email Holly Luna (Holly.Luna@dcyf.wa.gov) nomination information by Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
Nominations need to include:
- The young person’s first name and age
- Information about why you think they are a good candidate for this memorable opportunity
- Caregiver name(s) and contact information
We Are Family Day has been scheduled for Sunday, May 7, 2023. Tickets for the game are available now at: https://www.mariners.com/wearefamily.
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Join us on Sunday, May 7, as the Mariners take on the Houston Astros to celebrate foster, kinship, adoptive families, and the people who support them.
Enjoy a fun-filled day at the ballpark, visit us on the Rooftop Boardwalk (near Section 330) for a pregame event, watch a foster youth/child throw the ceremonial first pitch, and pick up a limited-edition We Are Family Mariners-themed blanket (available to all individuals holding a specially priced We Are Family ticket).
Tickets are available at http://www.mariners.com/wearefamily for the special price of $20 for seats on the main level and $10 for view level.
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Amara's Kin Connections program serves kinship caregivers and their families in King
and Pierce counties, providing connections to resources and support so kids can stay
connected to their families, communities, and culture.
What Can Kin Connections Help With?
- Navigating complex systems -healthcare, education, financial, legal, state licensing, and more
- Information and assistance - with state child-specific licensing to get monthly foster payments
- Finding resources - low cost internet, car seats, clothing, insurance, child care, afterschool
programs, and more
- Connection - to local and/or virtual support groups to build community
- Access to - Amara shared parenting course in building partnership with child's parent(s)
Kin Connections serves formal, state-involved kinship families in King and Pierce counties. Case workers can refer families by filling out the online form on our website: amarafamily.org/kin-connections. Kinship families can self-refer by filling out the form. Families can expect to get quick support to set and achieve goals within about 3 months. Program benefits can last a lifetime, because when kids can stay with extended family and live in or near their communities, they experience less trauma, and their caregivers experience less stress when they have the resources
they need.
For more information, visit Kin Connections - Amara (amarafamily.org), email kinship@amarafamily.org, or call 206-260-1700.
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 Registration is open for the virtual 23rd National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN), which will take place April 11-13 and April 18-20, 2023.
The 23rd NCCAN will feature a variety of interactive learning and networking opportunities for field professionals, researchers, policy makers, parents, youth with lived experience, volunteers representing a wide variety of disciplines, and community-based providers. In addition, the 23rd NCCAN will offer a unique opportunity for leadership to come together and engage in action-oriented dialogue around the theme of this year’s conference: Doing Things Differently: Moving from the Challenge to the Change.
For more information, visit the NCCAN website.
Interested in providing permanency to an older youth in care? Sign up for reverse matching!
Northwest Adoption Exchange and DCYF are seeking families licensed for youth ages 12-17. NWAE staff will work with you to create a fun video introduction for teens to review and inquire on! Questions? Please contact Naomi at nkolbuntinen@nwresource.org or 206-812-1980.
Here is the link to register: https://airtable.com/shr5fpwpLdGmzRxJu
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The Washington Statewide Leadership Initiative wants to hear from families and caregivers of children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) about their experiences and what supports they would like to see.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | 5:30-7:30 pm | Join via Zoom
Participants will get a $50 Amazon.com gift card.
Help them develop goals that matter to you. How can we better support children and families with T1D.
For more information, call 360-236-3536 or email CSHCN.support@doh.wa.gov.
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The Alliance CaRES program has secured an amazing partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books for children across the world.
The program has been around since 1995 and has 2.25 million children registered. The partnership with CaRES will specifically be with the Imagination Library Washington, which operates in all counties of the state. Registered children between 0 and 5 receive a free book in the mail each month until the child’s fifth birthday. The program is making a special effort to adapt to the needs of children in care, including developing a process for ensuring the book follows the child as they may change homes.
This partnership ties in with the CaRES program’s focus on literacy and the value of reading to build attachment, which it has supported through a Supportive Facilitated Discussion Group, “Using Storytime for Connection and Support,” and a Storytime drop-in. The Imagination Library books are age appropriate, with separate lists based on birth year, and the first book sent when a family registers is “The Little Engine That Could.”
If you are interested in registering a child in your care in the Imagination Library, visit imaginationlibrarywashington.org.
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Treehouse Driver’s Assistance program funding is available to youth in foster care learning to drive.
Treehouse will cover:
- The cost of drivers' education courses
- License testing
- Learners' permit and license fees.
- Treehouse can even provide financial assistance to get to and from the driving school
- For those already on the roads, they can pay up to six months of auto insurance coverage
To make a request or for more information regarding the Treehouse Driver’s Assistance program, please visit Treehouse website treehouseforkids.org/driversassistance. If you have additional questions about this program, please email licensing@treehouseforkids.org.
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