Youth Villages is looking for caring adults in the Mid-South to serve as foster parents to children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment. Free orientation sessions and training classes are now available.
The first free foster parent orientation sessions of the year will be at these times:
- 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 9
- 10 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 11
Youth Villages will also offer two sets of free training classes to teach new foster parents how to address a child’s emotional and behavioral problems, as well as parenting and discipline techniques. The first training classes of the year will be at these times:
- 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Jan. 14
- 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, beginning Jan. 18
All orientation sessions and training classes will be at the Youth Villages office, 5515 Shelby Oaks Drive, Memphis.
Foster parents provide children with a safe, comfortable environment and monitor their emotional growth, school progress and physical health. They also serve as positive role models to children who may lack caring adults in their lives. Foster parents care for children until they can return to their birth families or an adoptive family is found for them.
Youth Villages provides foster parents with 24-hour access to counselors, support groups and a monthly stipend to offset the cost of adding a child to the home. Foster parents also often have the first right to adopt if the child becomes available for adoption.
Foster parents should be over the age of 25 and residents of Tennessee. Foster parents should have viable income and reliable transportation and be able to pass a background check and home study.
For more information, contact Genesha Dorris, foster parent recruiter, at (901) 252-7648 or genesha.dorris@youthvillages.org.
