The decision to foster a child isn’t always an easy one to make. Just as parenting your own child is a daunting prospect, so too is parenting someone else’s child. But even though there are unique challenges when fostering a child, and you may feel like you’re not ready because of your financial situation, your family situation, or any number of other valid concerns, it is also an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience for all involved.

The COVID-19 pandemic has applied greater pressure to numerous facets of daily life in America. It should come as no surprise that the same is true for children in need of foster care.

Fostering produces tangible benefits and meaningful rewards for children, parents, and their families, but it’s not without real-world obstacles.

The holidays can be a painful reminder of the trauma that the children have faced before coming into care or trigger feelings about being away from their families (no matter the circumstances) during these times that usually symbolize family togetherness.

It’s understandable that most children entering foster care feel lost. They might be changing schools, changing neighborhoods, and losing contact with friends. But what if they also have to leave their siblings behind?

Like most things impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Halloween may look a little different this year. Cases are still climbing in many states, and that’s giving families doubts about being able to trick or treat safely.

Here are a few ideas from parents around the country to keep your Halloween traditions alive and SPOOKtacular!

Do your research and take a moment to breathe. You are opening your heart and your home to a child in need of stability and for that, you should be proud.

When children are placed in foster care, their lives are turned upside down.

The same is true for their parents, who must overcome their own personal challenges and the challenges of the foster care system to prove that they can become better parents. With the right support, everyone can get back on track. Foster parents provide that support through reunification.

New foster families will quickly learn that reunification is a critical part of the foster care process. But many aren’t sure what reunification means or what their role in reunification is.

Compared to their peers, foster children are six times more likely to have behavioral challenges, according to the journal Pediatrics. The reason? Past experience with trauma.

Foster care and adoption from foster care are often misunderstood, resulting in some children never finding a permanent home or forever family. We’ve identified some of the most common myths about foster care and adopting from foster care below along with their realities:

Imagine a time when your life plans were suddenly changed. Maybe you lost your job unexpectedly, or a close relative passed away, or you were in a serious car accident. You might have felt confused, scared, angry, or all of the above.

For foster children, a life of unexpected trauma is the norm and their mental health suffers greatly as a result.

Children in the foster care system have often gone through significant trauma and instability before they arrive in your home. Foster parents provide stabilization and comfort when a child has been uprooted from their family and everything that feels familiar.

Doing this can be even more difficult in a transracial context when a child’s culture is entirely different from that of the family they are placed with.

Children and youth in foster care have often survived a lifetime of uncertainty and change, both before entering foster care and during foster care. For these children, social distancing during COVID-19 can trigger traumatic memories or symptoms.