The Dees are not currently licensed foster parents but are staying involved and helping out in any way they can, including by spreading the word about the need for more foster parents. "Any time we had a (foster) child in our home, it was our whole family that helped." "I think it was something we realized we could all do together as a family," Kristen said. They also have three biological children. One of whom, Avery, they eventually adopted as their daughter. Since then, they became foster parents to six children altogether. Kristen Dee and her husband, J.D., started to think and pray about becoming a licensed foster family in 2014, and they became foster parents for the first time in December 2015. Statewide in Michigan, there are approximately 10,000 children in foster care. The majority of children placed in foster care are eventually reunited with their biological parents. "I've had foster families talk about how they built a relationship with the (biological) parents, and ultimately, when the foster child goes back home, they've been able to sustain that relationship."įoster care, Steele explained, is needed when children need a safe and loving home for a temporary period when they cannot be with their biological parents.
"Parenting a child you didn't give birth to is very rewarding," she said. Steele hopes potential foster families will consider the difference they can make and the fulfillment that fostering a child can bring. And we have more people who are closing their licenses after having been open for a while." "We have far fewer people (than in the past) coming to us and saying, 'We want to be foster parents,'" Steele explained. Steele also works with local organizations AOI and Holy Cross to help find foster placements for children. Steele noted that 600 children were in foster care at the end of 2022 in Midland County and seven surrounding counties, while there are fewer than 60 licensed foster families in Midland and Gladwin counties. Those interested in becoming a foster parent in Michigan can call 855-MICH-KIDS (85) or 98 for the Health and Human Services office in Midland.
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