May 2022 Issue 50
National Foster Care Month
May is National Foster Care Month. The Arizona Department of Child Safety is grateful to the entire foster care community for your dedication to and support of children and families.
Foster Teens, Foster Hope
Often, the thought of fostering children older than elementary age can be scary. Typical teen hormones plus trauma is daunting. But even with the extra care that these kiddos need, teens are the best age range to foster! Why?
- You can provide family dinners for a teen who has never had them.
- Teens sleep through the night. And sometimes half the morning.
- You can provide a home to come back to, after teens go to college.
- Teens will let you know when your old clothes are back in style.
- You get to make a difference and see the impact you’ve made as your teen grows and matures.
- Less time on the phone with tech support; your teens can help with your I.T. issues.
- Great reason to go to all the high school football and basketball games again.
- You won’t have to read teens the same book fifteen times every night.
- You can practice your patience, kindness, and empathy.
- You’re younger now than you would be when a baby becomes a teenager, so you get to enjoy fun teen activities before your body hurts all the time.
- You won’t have to guess what they need, because they can tell you themselves.
- No diapers.
- Everyone deserves to be special to someone.
Currently, there are approximately 13,000 youth in DCS care, with 2,500 (19%) of those children in group homes. More than 84% of those 2,500 youth are over the age of 12 years old. However, only 43% of our 2,936 licensed foster families are open to caring for children over the age of 12. One of DCS's major goals for 2022 is to decrease the number of youth in congregate care to no more than 10% (1,300 youth). The quickest, easiest, and most successful way to do this is for our current licensed foster families to open up their age range to include older youth. There are absolutely going to be challenges with teenagers (puberty, hormones, etc.) that will come sooner rather than later, but there are resources available to educate and support families through the adjustment.
There are infinite approaches to parenting teens, and what works for one child may not work for another, particularly when it comes to youth in care. Listed below are some training options to help build your skills. Some are free, and some have fees; some are in person, and others are virtual. None are reviewed, required, or recommended by DCS; the information is simply being made available to families. Check with your agency to see if any of these would count toward your recertification hours. And if you're interested in fostering teens, reach out to your licensing agency to get started on a license amendment!
Child Crisis Arizona offers both in-person and virtual trainings including: A Guide to Healthy Teen Dating, Anger Management for Children, Drug Trends, Healing Trauma, and so much more. There are also courses on-demand, so they can be completed on your schedule! All trainings are free of charge.
Mesa Public Schools offers Parent University, which has several free classes, such as: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, Healthy Boundaries/Happy Heart, College and Career Readiness, and several others. Mesa residency is NOT required.
Empowering Breakthrough offers Thrive training as an online course for $49.99. Thrive is an evidence- and trauma-informed, restorative justice-themed, interactive course designed to empower teens and parents/guardians with knowledge and tools to divert high-risk behavior and thrive in today's culture.
ParentArizona offers Love and Logic training, which is a very popular parenting style based on the books Parenting with Love and Logic and Parenting Teens with Love and Logic. They also offer a class for parenting children with ADHD, Autism, and other developmental delays. These courses are in-person, and the class is $295 per individual or parent couple.
Leadership Society of Arizona offers a parenting course based on the book No-Influence Mentoring: Understanding Teenagers and Encouraging Their Success. The virtual course is free and teaches parents how to help teens with stress management, goal-setting, and personal discovery. The organization also offers leadership camps and online leadership programs for teens, which may be covered by AFFCF!
Arizona Youth Partnership offers a variety of programs, including the Stronger Families Project, which builds a positive relationship between parents and their youth; Youth Mental Health First Aid, a program designed to teach caregivers how to help an adolescent who is experiencing a mental health challenge or is in crisis; Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience, which supports the healing process in young people who have experienced trauma; and 360 Substance Misuse Training, a research-based curriculum to raise awareness of the prescription problem, the risks of misuse, resistance strategies, and methods for proper storage and disposal. The cost and delivery methods vary.
Parent Encouragement Program has classes for all age groups at all price points. Their teen classes include: Defusing Sibling Rivalry, Creating Healthy Sleep Habits with Tweens & Teens, Exploring Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity, Breaking Masculinity Stereotypes to Raise Emotionally Resilient Boys, and so much more.
Priceless Parenting has created an 11-lesson, self-paced course targeted to parents of children ages 13 to 18. The course is $89 and will show parents how to guide teens rather than trying to control them, know how to calmly respond rather than emotionally react, and set healthy limits that keep kids safe without over-restricting them.
Creating A Family offers $10 virtual courses with topics such as Trauma-Informed Parenting: Practical Applications of TBRI, Impact of Loss on Foster Kids and Foster Parents, How to Raise an Anti-Racist Child, and several others. They also have a small selection of free courses, including Parenting Tweens and Teens and Handling Social Media as an Adoptive or Foster Parent.
Foster-Training offers a $15 annual subscription for unlimited training, which includes courses such as Helping your Teen Cope with Traumatic Stress and Substance Abuse, Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents, How Birth and Foster Parent Partnerships Can Help Families Reunify, and several trainings focused on various mental health and developmental disorders, including Autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, RAD, eating disorders, and others.
FosterClub offers courses including Supporting Higher Education Success, Health Care for Transition-Age Foster Youth, Fostering Young People of a Different Race, Helping Youth Prepare for the Transition to Adulthood, and more. A 1-year subscription is $24.95 for unlimited courses.
Foster Parent College has 76 online courses available to expand your skill set. Topics include Preparing Teens for Postsecondary Education, Reducing Family Stress, and trainings about specific behaviors and issues. The cost is $5 per credit, and the credits vary.
Arizona 1.27 invites foster and kinship families to register for Trauma-Informed Parenting Intensives featuring Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). This training will be offered as a two-day intensive (Friday, June 3, 6-9 PM/Saturday, June 4, 9 am to 5 pm) in Gilbert. The cost is $25 individual/$40 couple. The classes cover the following principles: Connecting: gain insight into your own attachment style and how it can impact your relationships with children; Empowering: how to empower your children physiologically through a structured, sensory-rich environment, as well as an introduction to strategic self-regulation tools; Correcting: learn proactive and responsive strategies such as offering choices, sharing power, and using life value terms to help children with challenging behaviors.
Chicanos Por La Causa offers a 6-week workshop, Active Parenting of Teens. Sessions include: The Active Parent; Winning Cooperation; Responsibility & Discipline; Building Courage, Redirecting Misbehavior; Drugs, Sexuality, and Violence: Reducing the Risks, Parts 1 and 2. The series is free, and a certificate of completion will be provided.
Free Comic Book Day
May 7th is Free Comic Book Day! Shops around the country will be giving out free comic books! Take your kiddos and have fun choosing a comic to read together!
Supplemental School Tuition
Did you know that every school-age child in the care of DCS has up to two allowances of $165 per year to help pay for summer school or other tuition fees? Simply request it via the DCS Specialist, and they will submit a service request as they would for any other special allowance.
AZYLF 2022 Regional Conferences
National Reunification Hero Nominations
National Reunification Month is celebrated in June and acknowledges the people and efforts across the country that help families involved in the child welfare system reunite. This year’s theme is Reunification: Shifting Power and Reconnecting Families All Year Long.
As we prepare to celebrate this year, if you are inspired by someone who you think of as a National Reunification Hero, please take the opportunity to nominate them. It can be anyone in the foster care community: parent, youth, professional (DCS, behavioral health agency, other service provider), foster/kinship caregiver, or a volunteer (CASA, mentor, non-profit agencies that support children and families). The nominations are open through May 6, 2022, and the heroes will be recognized in June.
Shared Parenting Tips
What is shared parenting? Shared parenting is the relationship between an out-of-home caregiver, like a foster parent, and the birth parent(s) of the child in their care. This relationship is important for making the child's transition into care as comfortable as possible. In addition to making them feel comfortable throughout this journey of building a new family, you must remember that safe reunification is best for the children in your care. It’s comforting to them when they know that you understand that they want to be with their birth parents and to keep that relationship in focus.
Going forward, each issue of Thrive will have tips and info regarding shared parenting and how to engage better with families. If you have tips, information on activities, want to share success stories, or are in need of a Shared Parenting Journal, email Rhiannon Schaudt-Hobkirk.
Once all parties understand shared parenting and why it’s important, they need to know how to implement it. The first thing is to let all parties know that they are not required to do anything that they are not comfortable with. Sometimes, there are safety concerns. Or there are communication barriers. Communication is going to be a process, so starting slow is completely fine! Then progress once it is safe and comfortable to do so.
To begin with, there are indirect methods of shared parenting, which involves absolutely no communication and is the bare minimum that is expected of all parties. It really comes down to each party showing respect for the others. Some no contact activities include: speaking respectfully of all parties; assuming positive intentions; encouraging and supporting visitation and contact; sending the child with activities for visits; keeping a Lifebook to send when the child reunifies so there are no gaps in the child's history.
Then there is semi-direct, or low contact shared parenting, where there is no in-person contact between the families. Communication can take place indirectly, either by email or by passing information through the Parent Aide or the Specialist. Low contact activities include: sending photos, school reports, etc.; setting up an email account that is used only to communicate with parents; requesting photos of extended family members to put in the child's room; asking about the child's routine, likes and dislikes, culture and traditions, medical history, diet, religion, etc.; discussing how information is presented to the child; asking for parenting tips and tricks.
Medium contact is still not face-to-face, but it can be person-to-person contact through phone calls or even video chat. Medium contact activities can include: setting up a "comfort call" the day the child is placed with you; asking parents to record themselves reading a bedtime story to the child or having parents video chat at bedtime for a story; calling the parent when the child is not feeling well; working out discipline issues together to ensure you are on the same page; encouraging the parent's efforts and successes; asking parents what support they need and helping them get that support.
Finally, high contact is in-person contact, where the biological and caregiver families are able to come together for the benefit of the child. Again, be sure that it is safe to move forward with any in-person contact and ensure that the entire team is aware of any concerns and that all parties are comfortable with the level of contact. Some high contact activities include: inviting the family to all school and community activities; facilitate additional visits for the family/extended family; invite the family to share the child's birthday and other holidays together; ask the parent over for dinner or to help with the bedtime routine; plan fun activities for the family and supervise the visitation if necessary; provide respite care post-reunification.
Shine Festival
Come celebrate Foster Care Awareness Month with AZAFAP and Ser Kallai at the Shine Festival, Saturday, May 21 from 10am-2pm at Kyrene Middle School (1050 E. Carver Rd., Tempe 85284).
This year, SER-KALLAI and AZAFAP partner to celebrate SHINE as the 2nd Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Festival for Children, Families and Foster Care Awareness Month, with the purpose of putting into action the light within all of us. This incredible festival will allow children, families, and supportive networks to find power in their diversity and uniqueness, equipping them with EQ tools for them to experience well-being, develop compassion, gratitude, and empathy, as well as bringing awareness to the community about Foster Care Awareness Month.
SHINE will have stations for all ages (children and adults) that include experiential activities, mindfulness techniques, art, live music, Courage for Children, and much more! All activities will focus on the participant's holistic well-being and the development of emotional intelligence competencies, including self-awareness, self-management, social and relationship skills, autonomy, and spiritual well-being.
Teen Reach Adventure Camps
T.R.A.C. is a positive, faith-based summer camp experience that offers hope and encouragement to foster children who are 12 to 15 years old that may have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment. The camp is specifically designed to ensure the success of every foster child who attends camp. There are locations in Chandler, Phoenix, and Scottsdale.
swappow+ Professional Development Program
This summer, swappow+ is offering an exclusive Professional Development Program to Arizona foster kids ages 16-21. This hands-on course allows our participants the opportunity to learn business fundamentals in the context of manufacturing a skateboard and designing their own brand, logo, and graphics. Participants who complete this course will create a finished product that they will be proud of and will gain real-life professional experience. Participants will follow an exclusive curriculum that includes three in-person sessions and six remote lessons that offers individualized coaching and support.
This course is designed for kids who have an interest in hands-on design, woodworking, and brand development. No previous experience is necessary! Participants need to have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone and access to transportation to attend the in-person sessions.
Full sponsorship awards that cover the cost of the program are available for all Arizona foster kids. More information is provided upon registration.
Anytown Leadership Camp
Anytown is a nationally recognized, award-winning leadership and social justice program for youth ages 14-19. We bring together a diverse group of students from high schools across the region for a week-long residential experience.
Through interactive workshops, discussions, and games, delegates explore topics like prejudice, discrimination, and bias. Delegates create a model for an ideal community based on respect, understanding, and inclusivity, in which members not just tolerate, but celebrate each others' differences. Teens who experience Anytown Leadership Camp leave the program equipped with the tools to increase their ability to foster inclusion and respect among all members of society.
Anytown Leadership Camp 2022 is June 12-18th. The application deadline is May 6th. The cost is $490, however financial aid may be available through the organization or through Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation.
one-n-ten Support Groups
one-n-ten provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to connect with others, engage in fun, empowering programs, and get resources to be their best self. They also offer a monthly Parents' Group that is open to parents, teachers, counselors, or other trusted adults to ask questions about on-n-ten programs and services and how to best support their LGBTQ+ youth. For questions about Parents' Group, contact Gina at 602-279-0894 or gina@onenten.org
CPR/First Aid Certification
Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors
We are a statewide support and legislative advocacy network of, by and for grandparents raising grandchildren and non-parent caregivers raising children. We are the families who give these children safe, stable homes and keep them out of the foster care system. Join us as we work with legislators and policymakers to create positive changes for our families. Check out our website for information and resources, including parenting classes, respite services, support groups, therapy and parenting help, and more!
Raising Special Kids
Raising Special Kids began in 1979 as a grassroots effort of families, professionals, and community leaders determined to provide support and information for parents of children with disabilities and special health care needs. Today, Raising Special Kids serves as Arizona’s Family-to-Family Health Information Center, and as Arizona’s Parent Training and Information Center. Helping parents access information about health care, community resources, and support services so they can make informed decisions regarding their children’s care has been our mission from the beginning. We support thousands of Arizona families each year through our programs and services.
Raising Special Kids provides programs and services at no cost to families. No eligibility determinations are required. Any parent or family member of a child with a disability can take advantage of services provided in English, Spanish, and other languages.
- Individual Consultation - Our staff of Family Support Specialists is comprised of parents and family members of children with disabilities who can relate to the challenges facing parents and family members who call for support. Our staff receives ongoing training on Federal and State programs, as well as community-based programs and resources, available to individuals with disabilities and special health care needs. We provide families with support for the full spectrum of issues a family may encounter from birth through age 26, and sometimes beyond. Raising Special Kids staff specializes in information and training in the areas of Education, Health Care, Behavior Support, and Transition to Adulthood. Families who contact us or are referred for individual consultation will receive: a call from one of our Family Support Specialists by the end of the following business day; compassion and understanding from our staff of professional, experienced, fellow parents or family members of a child with a disability; information, resources, problem-solving support, and strategies to help parents access and advocate for the support their child needs.
- Parent-to-Parent support has always been the heart of Raising Special Kids. Each year, more than 300 families in Arizona are connected with veteran “mentor” parents who have walked a similar path and who understand the challenges of raising a child with a disability or special health care need.
- Raising Special Kids’ Positive Family Coaching (PFC) program provides enhanced support to families of children receiving behavioral health services through AHCCCS. Through the child’s Child & Family Team (CFT), Raising Special Kids can provide support with education, health care system navigation, development of effective advocacy skills, and strategies for positive behavior support. Currently, Raising Special Kids PFC program is only available to families of children with Mercy Care and United Healthcare plans through AHCCCS, with more plans to come soon. If you have Mercy Care or United Healthcare and would like to receive Positive Family Coaching from Raising Special Kids, please contact your child’s case manager to request our Positive Family Coaching services. For more information, please call us at 602-242-4366.
- Events & Trainings - At this time, most events and trainings are being held virtually. Trainings/workshops include topics such as Talking to Your Child About Sexuality, Understanding 504, IEP Training, High School Transition, Early Childhood Education, Positive Behavior Support, and more.
Family Involvement Center Resources
For plenty of parents, teachers, and school staff, anxiety is running high as school is back to in-person learning, and COVID-19 cases are rising again. So we want to remind you that support is available right now. Our team is trained to help with recovering from the psychological effects caused by the pandemic. Thanks to our partnership with Resilient Arizona, you can receive confidential help at no cost in group or one-on-one settings. This includes for supportive crisis counseling, education and development of coping skills. Again, services are 100% free and confidential.
Resilient Arizona providers are located throughout Arizona. If you live in Northern Arizona, call (928) 440-6181. If you reside in Central Arizona, call (602) 704-0440. And if you live in Southern Arizona, please call (520) 485-5858.
The available support also includes assistance with finding food, paying house bills, accessing free childcare, and other essential services. You can also dial 2-1-1 anywhere in Arizona 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or visit www.ResilientArizona.org. Feel free to email us at pac@familyinvolvementcenter.org if you have any additional questions.
Child & Family Resources Youth Mentoring Services Program
Child Crisis Arizona Education Programs
ASA Now
ASA Now is a non-profit organization that ADVOCATES for, SUPPORTS, and ASSISTS children and families impacted by foster care. We are passionate about providing support to families and professionals by restoring hope and empowering them to better serve these children in need.
Services we offer include tutoring & extracurricular activities, food pantry, clothing, and meeting basic necessities. Other services include life skills for youth, respite care, therapeutic programs, family activities, peer-to-peer support groups, education and training on utilizing Jacob's Law to obtain behavioral health services, providing resources to families and caregivers to successfully navigate the foster care system, raising awareness, recruiting new foster families, and advocating for families and their children.
Arizona Helping Hands
Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of essential items for children in foster care in Arizona. Their programs provide a safe place to sleep, clothing, hygiene items, birthday packages, backpacks filled with school supplies, licensing safety items, foster footlockers, and more. If needed, kinship and foster families with a current notice to provider are eligible to receive basic needs such as clothing, diapers, wipes, and hygiene items every four months.
Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents
AZAFAP wants to support you and the children in your family (foster, kinship, adopted, biological). We are a non-profit, statewide organization that serves families who adopt children and provide foster and kinship care. Working in partnership with child welfare professionals and the community, our purpose is to support, educate, empower and provide a unified voice for Arizona’s foster and adoptive families, with the goal of increasing the well-being and stability of Arizona’s most vulnerable children. AZAFAP’s programming is open to all foster, kinship, and adoptive families in Arizona. Basic membership is free and includes a subscription to our monthly newsletter with information and resources, our online support groups, and some of our training. Premier membership is available for an annual fee of $75 for two-parent families and a discounted rate of $50 for single-parent families. Premier members are eligible to participate in all program activities. Our programming includes Family Connections events like camps, picnics, and staycations, Family Support Services such as training, Children’s Basic Needs with new shoes, jackets, toys and bikes, and Community Awareness events. Join us today before the Family Camp registration opens! Visit www.azafap.org/membership for more information.
Sign up on our Event Calendar! If you aren’t a member yet, check out our free membership so you can sign up! Ever need adult conversation during the week? We also have weekly drop-in chats on the calendar on Tuesdays and Fridays!
Papa John's Partnership
Southwest Human Development Head Start
Southwest Human Development is offering Early Head Start and Head Start Programs. The in-person classes will be small to encourage physical distancing while being socially together. There will also be virtual programs that families can participate in from home. In-person groups will be limited to 8 children with 2 or 4 teachers, depending on the length of the program day.
For children under 3 years old, the Early Head Start program offers a 10-hour program for working families designed to provide a high-quality learning environment while encouraging physical distancing, as well as a virtual curriculum families can participate in from home.
The Head Start program has in-person, small group programs offering 10 hours, 6 hours, or 3.5 hours of care in a high-quality learning environment designed to limit close physical contact, as well as a virtual option for families to participate in from their home.
Child Crisis Arizona Training
Child Crisis Arizona's spring program calendar is live! Classes include Adoption 101, Neurosequential Model in Caregiving, Trauma Informed Parenting Techniques, and more! All trainings are virtual via Zoom.
Email FCATraining@childcrisisaz.org to register for training or the support group!
STEP Training- TUCSON
Support, Tools, and Education for Parents (STEP) is designed to build positive relationships between family members. It provides a safe space to discuss topics that may be too difficult to talk about at home. These conversations are about peer pressure, stress, and the importance of working together as a team. When caregivers and children work together, it creates a stronger family! The Children’s Advocacy Center understands that family does not always mean a biological parent and child. STEP is a program that will benefit the whole family, including biological, foster, kinship, and adoptive families.
Families enrolled in STEP will meet virtually each week. Each session consists of different topics such as communication, stress management, substance abuse prevention and how to talk to your child about difficult topics (identifying potential child abusers, child abuse, healthy and concerning sexualized behavior), each session building on the next. Child care will be available when classes are offered in person again. For questions, please contact Jackie Ballesteros at jballesteros@soazadvocacy.org or 520-724-2148.
Christian Family Care Training
AZ.127 Foster Family Support & Connections
AZ.127 will be offering support via Facebook & Instagram mini-sessions of techniques and tools from the Trust-Based Relational Intervention program. Additionally, they will be matching mentor foster families with foster families in need of support.
Caring Connections for Special Needs
Arizona Early Intervention Program
Yavapai CASA for Kids
Christian Family Care Thrift Store
Did you know, Christian Family Care’s Thrift Stores have been around since 1996? Previously known as Family Attic, our Tucson and Phoenix thrift stores help fund our adoption, foster care, and counseling programs. Make a donation, shop, or volunteer at our thrift stores. Don’t miss out on all of the amazing discounts we offer. All foster/adoptive families in Arizona receive a 25% off discount when shopping at our thrift stores. Just show the cashier this Thrive article for the discount. Visit https://cfcare.org/get-involved/#thrift-stores to learn more!
Tucson Resources
Spreading Threads is a grassroots, nonprofit community clothing bank that provides free clothes to foster youth in southern Arizona. The organization was founded by two foster moms in Tucson who have fostered and adopted several children in Arizona. Your donations go directly to local children in need. The second Saturday of each month foster, adoptive, and kinship families can visit the clothing bank. A Notice to Provider will be needed. The clothing bank events are held at 1870 W. Prince, Suite 54 in Tucson.
Respite Resource
A Mighty Change of Heart
A Mighty Change of Heart provides FREE duffle bags to foster children with new, age-appropriate items inside: 2 outfits, shoes & socks, underwear, book, diapers/wipes, hygiene items, and more. These bags have the children’s names embroidered on them, and are something that they can call their very own. They have delivered over 3,500 bags across the state.
Please check out their website for more information: www.amchaz.com. If your family, business, church group or school would be interested in holding a donation drive, please contact A Mighty Change of Heart. Items are always needed.
Warmline Supports Kinship and Foster Families
The Foster Parent Warmline is available for kinship families and licensed foster parents. While not an emergency number, Warmline staff can assist with information, authorizations for services, timely communication, and support. It is not intended to discourage or replace direct and regular communication between the DCS Specialist and the out-of-home caregiver. You can reach the Warmline by calling 1-877-KIDSNEEDU (1-877-543-7633) and selecting Option 3. Warmline staff are available during business hours. Please leave a message with your name and contact information in order to receive a call back.
Children's Heart Gallery
More than 70 percent of the children in need of forever families are adopted by their relatives or foster parents. For the remainder, special recruitment efforts like the Heart Gallery are used to connect them with a forever family.
The children featured in the Heart Gallery represent all ethnic groups and range in age from toddlers to teenagers. Some have special behavioral or medical needs, some are without siblings, and others are in groups of siblings.
Leah W.
Leah is a sweet, young teenage girl who is outgoing. Leah is very kind, thoughful and considerate of others and makes friends easily. She enjoys all sorts of activities like playing video games, listening to music, playing soccer, riding horses and just hanging out with friends. Leah is passionate about animals and wants to become a veterinarian when she grows up as well as a foster parent.
Leah was born in 2008.
Fekkial
Fekkial is a friendly and unusually quite young man who also enjoys being called "Colter". Fekkial enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities as well as video games, but prefers outdoor games most. Fekkial's favorite holiday is his birthday, because he gets to see people he loves the most, and getting presents is second to seeing his favorite people. Fekkial gets along with peers well and really enjoys going to school and learning. Fekkial is inquisitive and enjoys rockets and remote control planes and cars. Fekkial's favorite activities are playing basketball, flag football, and soccer.
Fekkial was born in 2010.
Abrianna & Serenity
Abrianna is very creative and loves to draw and read. Her favorite books are the Magic Treehouse series, and her favorite music is The Greatest Showman. She would like to be a veterinarian when she’s older. She is in band and plays percussion. If she could go any place on earth, Abrianna said she’d like to go to Hollywood and see the huge Christmas tree.
Serenity likes to play on the computer and iPad, play with Barbies, and play board games. She also likes to color, sing, and read. When she grows up she’d like to be a horse trainer. At school, she plays piano and likes to play basketball. If she could go anywhere in the world, she’d pick Disneyland.
Abrianna was born in 2005, and Serenity was born in 2007.
AZ Families Thrive is published monthly by the Arizona Department of Child Safety to inform foster, kinship, and adoptive families across the state. Rhiannon Schaudt-Hobkirk created this edition. Please feel free to email with questions, comments, or content you may be interested in seeing in future editions. Sign up to receive email updates when new issues are posted.
Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent? Call us: 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633) or email us: FosterAdoption@azdcs.gov. Visit us online: www.azkidsneedu.gov.
To report child abuse or neglect: 1-888-SOS-CHILD