JBLM Foster Parent Recruitment Initiative

The Joint Base Lewis-McChord Foster Parent Recruitment Project formed on JBLM to address the needs of military foster children.  The group is helping advertise the need for military-connected foster homes, both on the installation and in the surrounding communities. Interested families can get licensed if they plan to remain in the JBLM area for as little as one year.  By choosing to become a foster parent, they can help these children to live in the familiar military environment, continue to attend their home school and continue their medical care at from Madigan Healthcare System.
Here's information I just received from them:

Did You Know?

• There were 72 military children from JBLM who needed foster care placements in 2010.
• You can be working full time and still be a foster parent.
• Getting a foster care license in the State of Washington can take as little as 3 months.
• You may qualify for larger quarters on JBLM if you get licensed as a foster parent.

You can make a difference….. One child at a time.
JBLM is in critical need of military-connected foster homes.
Keeping military children with military foster parents makes sense:

• They can continue to attend on-post schools, activities, and obtain care in familiar surroundings.
• The stressors on the child and biological parents are greatly reduced, promoting continuity during a difficult time.
• Being a foster parent is not a life-long commitment; but creates a sense of accomplishment and service gratification that will last a lifetime.
• Pierce County’s foster parent recruitment is conducted by Foster Care Resource Network.

1-800-539-9466 http://www.dshs.wa.gov/ca/fosterparents/
OR on JBLM, contact Sandi Vest 253-968-4775 sandra.vest@us.army.mil