Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/72324
On any given day in Wisconsin, there are 8,000 children in foster care, according to the Department of Children and Families. Each of these children are placed into one of 5,100 licensed foster homes through a county agency, like the Department of Human Services in Dane County, or a private agency, like CCR. The parents who take them in are as var- ied as the children themselves. Young, old, single, married, full-time workers and stay-at-home parents. Requirements on age and home situation vary by agency, but all require one thing from those who apply: a willingness to open doors, hearts and minds. "Most of our families are experienced family has in child-rearing, training is still required. Beyond the paperwork, back- ground checks and personal references, CCR's initial two-year licensing certifica- tion requires 40 hours of training before placing a child in the home. As the foster care coordinator who li- censes homes for the Dane County Depart- ment of Human Services, Dawn Douglas sees the challenges in securing foster care providers every day. "In Dane County, there are 223 kids in foster care," she explains. "Right now we have 187 foster homes licensed through DHS, but it's never enough." Even with the constant demand for li- [parents who] have launched four or five kids of their own," explains Renee Wil- berg, clinical supervisor with CCR, whose agency mandates parents be at least 25 years old with one stay-at-home parent. But no matter how much experience a censed foster families, Douglas' office still sets the bar high. "It's not a slam dunk that you'll become licensed. As part of the pre-screening, we assess the parents' mental and physical health, and make sure that economically they can support themselves without the foster care payments," she explains. What they hope to find, she says, is something many of the children have been lacking in their lives. "Overall, we're looking for stability," Douglas says. Three months passed between the time the Lacrosses received their license in No- vember 2007 and when they had a foster child placed in their home. In February 2008, when a 15-year old boy from South- east Wisconsin made the trip to Oxford with the Lacrosses, their first foray into foster care began. "He had long hair, and during the car ride home he would lean his head forward so his hair covered his face anytime we would talk to him," Rick recalls. "I kept telling him that I like to see people's eyes when I talk to them," JoMay continues. "By the end of the day he had his hair pushed back." "He was a good kid," Rick says, looking at JoMay, remembering that first experi- ence. Since then, the Lacrosses have only fostered teenage boys. "We almost can't have enough families because the needs of the kids are so diverse." Renee Wilberg June 2012 bravamagazine.com 59