It Takes a Village

One of our residents at 4KIDS His Caring Place (HCP), Kiara*, just celebrated the birth of a healthy baby girl!

Kiara and her one-year-old daughter Lily* moved into HCP this past January when Kiara discovered she was expecting again, and could no longer stay in the shelter she was in. Unfortunately, her family had distanced themselves from her, and Kiara had been completely on her own in her journey as a young mother. In a few short months, the team at HCP have become Kiara’s support system. They have driven her to dozens of job interviews, doctor’s appointments, and showed her how to feed, hold, and console Lily. When Kiara was nervous about her upcoming delivery and who could watch Lily, the HCP team set Kiara up with a 4KIDS Foster Family who could take care of Lily while she went into labor, and now these foster parents have become mentors for her as well.

Kiara has also gotten especially close with a 4KIDS social work intern, Taylor, who has spent the last few weeks teaching her how to budget and develop other important life skills. When Kiara went into labor unexpectedly, the HCP team was unable to reach the baby’s father, who had wanted to be at the birth. Because the hospital staff was only allowing one person to go into the delivery room with Kiara for 24-hours, Kiara asked Taylor to stay with her. The fact that Taylor had earned Kiara’s trust in this way is worth celebrating. For the first time, Kiara was not alone in the delivery room and instead had someone advocating for her best interest. Taylor represented a team of people behind Kiara who care about her and have given her and her daughters a safe place to belong.

The prevention aspect of HCP is important to highlight this National Foster Care Month. Through programs like HCP, girls like Kiara who choose life for their children have the support and encouragement they need to thrive as mothers, and break cycles of abuse and neglect.

*Names were changed to protect the idenity of the kids we serve