Foster and Kinship Care Education
The Taft College Foster and Kinship Care Education Program was started through funds from a grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. The program is designed to continually support and educate foster parents and kinship caregivers in their roles in caring for children. The primary focus is the individual needs and concerns of the families served.
We strive to create long-lasting relationships between parents, caregivers, and resource agencies in hope of providing a lifetime network of support.
Our Program Offers:
- Support for Foster Parents and Kinship Caregivers
- A variety of training topics designed to meet the individual needs of families working within the system
- Field trips to various agencies
- A network of agencies and community resources to provide emotional support and visual and written materials for foster parents and kinship caregivers
- Assistance to families whose first language is Spanish through a variety of bilingual services and materials
Course and Workshop Topics:
- Family Dynamics
- Child Development/Parenting
- Self-Esteem
- Behavior Management
- Working with Community Resources
- Self-help skills
- Working with the System (DHS)
- Reunification/Permanency
- Adoption/Guardianship
- Emotional Effects of Removal
- Child Abuse/Violence Intervention
- Substance Abuse
- Special Needs and Diversity
Taft College Course:
Early Childhood Education 19 —Understanding Parenting/Foster Parenting (3 units)
This course is a study on extensive contemporary research literature on parenting and relevant theoretical perspectives. A special emphasis is placed on foster parenting concerns and structure, day-to-day challenges of parenting, grand parenting perspectives, and incorporating inclusion and diversity issues.
