Kate is an Idaho foster mom who encourages Idahoans to consider how they might support children in care. As a foster mom, adoptive mom, and biological mom, she’s experienced parenting from a variety of perspectives.

“If your fear is that you’ll get too attached, you are the perfect person to foster,” she said.

(Watch a video version of Kate’s story here.)

In addition, Kate has experienced the foster care system from different perspectives. As a volunteer with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), she helps represent children in the court system. No matter the setting, she said she shows up as an advocate for kids—offering consistency, stability, and compassion during a chaotic time in their lives.

And she stressed that she works hard to empathize with biological parents whose children land in her care. “I think every single human person is searching to feel connected and to feel loved,” Kate said. “[The parents] need just as much love and support as the kids do.”

Kate and her husband have welcomed foster children with a range of needs into their family, including teens and youth with developmental disabilities or mental illness. She said their home is often a place of firsts: the first consistent meals, the first time a child is encouraged to go to therapy, the first time a young person begins to understand what stability can feel like.

One teen in their care had spent years bouncing in and out of foster homes, unsure of what love or permanence felt like.

“It was really hard for her to realize what stability looked like,” Kate said. “She would fight against love because it felt so uncomfortable for her. It took a while. Going to therapy was so good for her. We just would not stop showing her love. We loved her where she was at, that day. She slowly began to accept us.”

Today, the same teen is learning to love herself. Though her journey is sometimes still challenging, Kate said it’s clear that she’s healing. She’s learning to think in new ways — to see herself and her future differently.

“The way she thinks now has completely changed,” Kate said. “She’s been able to heal and think rationally. It’s amazing to watch her healing.”

Kate knows not everyone can foster — and that’s okay. But she wants more people to know there are still countless ways to help.

They can donate clothing, baby gear, or gift cards to organizations that support youth in foster care. They can volunteer with CASA. They can offer moral support to families who are fostering or reunifying with their children. Kate noted that when youth are returned to their birth families, those families are often rebuilding from the ground up and need community support.

While each family’s story is different, the needs across the state are real and growing, and Kate believes there’s a place in the foster care community for everyone — even those who want to help in small or quiet ways.

Idaho needs foster parents

If you’ve ever considered fostering, know that your willingness to offer a home—even for one child for one season—can change a child’s life forever. For more information, call 2-1-1 or visit the Department of Health and Welfare’s foster care page. You could be the difference that turns a story of struggle into one of hope and belonging.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.