Every year, thousands of children throughout the United States enter the foster care system because their parents were not able to provide them with the protection and nurturing that they needed. When it is determined by the court that a child will not be able to safely return to their birth families, loving adoptive families are needed to provide stable and permanent adoptive homes for these children.
Children don’t need perfect parents, just loving individuals who are willing to make a lifetime commitment to the children they adopt. Patience, a good sense of humor, a love of children, and a commitment to be a good parent are the most important characteristics. Prospective foster/adoptive parents can be married or single (nearly one-third of adoptions from foster care are by single parents), renters or homeowners, and there are no age restrictions or minimum income levels, other than showing that your income covers your family expenses. Penny Lane Centers welcomes families of all ethnicities, ages, marital status, or sexual orientation.
The steps to becoming certified as a Penny Lane Fost/Adopt parent include attending a 30-hour training at a Penny Lane facility, completing a CPR/1st aid class, a health clearance, criminal and child abuse clearances, completion of paperwork, compliance with California state safety requirements in your home, and participation in a family assessment (Home Study) with a social worker.
Penny Lane Centers waives all fees for services provided to prospective families. A monthly stipend is provided to foster/adoptive parents to help offset the costs of caring for children in the foster care system, and the financial assistance does not end with the child’s adoption. A federal program known as the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) allows for a continued monthly stipend until the child reaches 18 years of age. Children adopted from foster care also receive Med-i-cal benefits throughout their childhood.
Families are needed for children ranging from newborns to teenagers. Children in foster care, just like all children, have an enormous potential to thrive given the patience, love and stability that they need.
For more information about the Penny Lane Centers Foster/Adopt program, or how to take the next step, please contact Laurie Rein at 818-894-3384 x1235, or lrein@pennylane.org.