So You Want To Become a Foster Parent? Now What? 😅

So… You Want To Foster?

So you’ve decided whether you want to go through an agency or your local county foster care system (don’t worry… we’ll talk more about the differences later).

Now what?

Well… you call them up and awkwardly tell them you’re interested in becoming a foster parent while secretly hoping you sound like you know what you’re doing.

After that, they’ll usually send someone out to meet with you. In my case, it was a family coordinator.

And honestly? That first meeting helped calm my nerves a lot because suddenly there was an actual human helping explain things instead of me panic-Googling foster care questions at midnight.

Before our home visit, we first joined a Zoom meeting that was basically an introduction to the agency — who they are, what they do, their purpose, and how their organization works.

Which honestly helped because before that I was kind of sitting there thinking: “Okay… so how does this whole foster care thing actually work?”

After the Zoom meeting, the agency reached out to schedule our home visit.

And let me tell you… once they schedule that visit, suddenly you feel the need to gather every important document you’ve ever owned in your entire life.

So before the worker came to our house, I started gathering paperwork and making copies ahead of time so we could get the ball rolling faster.

Their job is basically to help guide you through the process and explain what they’ll need from you moving forward.

Now every agency and county is a little different, so the paperwork and requirements can vary depending on where you live and who you work with. But overall, most foster care organizations ask for pretty similar things during the licensing process.

Which basically means: prepare yourself… because paperwork is coming.

Going Through a Foster Care Agency

This is the route my family personally chose, so this is the side I know the most about so far.

Basically, foster care agencies often receive placement calls when county foster homes are full or when they’re trying to place children in surrounding areas.

Pros of Using a Foster Care Agency

From what I’ve experienced so far, agencies tend to offer more support for foster parents. And trust me… support matters A LOT in foster care.

Another big pro is that you may be opened up to a larger placement area instead of only your immediate county. So instead of just one location, you may receive calls involving several nearby counties too.

Cons of Using a Foster Care Agency

Now for the honest part. 😅

The waiting for placement calls can sometimes be LONG.

At the time I’m writing this, we’ve been waiting about 10 weeks for our first placement call. And no — that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t children needing homes. Foster care placements depend on a lot of factors:

• age ranges
• location
• number of children
• available foster homes
• transportation needs
• and what the child specifically needs

So sometimes it’s less: “No children need homes.” And more: “We’re waiting for the right fit.”

I’m still fairly new to all of this myself, so I’m sure I’ll learn more pros and cons along the way. But these are the biggest things I’ve personally noticed so far.

Going Through Your Local County

I personally didn’t go through our local county, so I can only share what I’ve heard from others and researched myself.

One thing I hear often is that county foster homes may sometimes receive placement calls faster.

But I’ve also heard that support for foster parents can sometimes feel limited or stretched thin depending on the area, which can leave foster parents feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.

Of course, every county and agency is different, so experiences will vary.

What Do You Need To Become a Foster Parent?

Now let me warn you ahead of time: there WILL be paperwork. 😂

Like enough paperwork to make you question if your printer secretly works for the government.

For our foster care agency, we had to provide things like:

• birth certificates
• Social Security cards
• proof of car insurance
• vehicle registration and inspection
• home insurance
• financial information
• medication lists
• physical forms from doctors confirming we were healthy enough to care for children

And honestly? That’s just to get their attention. 😅

Because THEN comes their paperwork.

And let me tell you… they want to KNOW you.

For me personally, I had to answer a lot of questions about:

• my childhood
• how I was raised
• my relationship with my mom and dad
• relationships with siblings
• schools I attended
• every address I’ve lived at over the last 10 years
• whether I had ever been involved in foster care myself

At one point I remember thinking: “My husband doesn’t even know half the stuff I’m telling this agency.”

And listen… they don’t even take you to dinner first. They just hand you paperwork and ask you to emotionally unpack your entire life story.

But honestly, I do understand why they ask these questions. Foster care involves children who may come from difficult situations, so agencies want to understand:

• your background
• your parenting style
• your support system
• and how your own life experiences may affect the way you care for children

So yes… it can feel a little invasive at times. But it’s all part of making sure children are being placed into safe and stable homes.

What Else Did We Need?

And just when you think you’ve gathered enough paperwork to satisfy the foster care gods… there’s more.

For our agency, we also had to pay for a few things out of pocket during the licensing process:

•fingerprinting — around $24

•child abuse clearance — about $22

•background check — around $13 ( if I remember correctly)

Now I’m not saying every agency or county does things exactly the same way, but this is what our agency required during the process.We also had to complete a couple online classes before moving further along:

We also had to complete a couple online classes before moving further along:

• CPR certification
• mandated reporter training (which was about 3 hours long)

And honestly? At some point during the process you kind of stop asking questions and just start nodding like: “Okay sure… add it to the list.”

But overall, these classes and clearances are there to help prepare foster parents and make sure children are being placed into safe homes with caregivers who understand basic safety, reporting responsibilities, and emergency situations.

Foster Care Licensing Doesn’t Happen Overnight

One thing I didn’t fully realize before starting this journey was how long the foster care licensing process can actually take.

We personally started our foster care journey in October 2025 and officially became active in March 2026.

Now to be fair… I do live somewhere with pretty brutal winters, so I honestly think starting right before winter probably slowed parts of the process down a little.

If we had started during a different season, I think our licensing process may have been closer to 3 months instead of 5.

But honestly? The timeline really varies.I’ve read about some people becoming licensed in just a few months, while others said their process took 6–8 months or longer.

A lot of it depends on:

• how quickly paperwork gets completed
• training schedules
• clearances
• home studies
• and how fast you personally knock things out

So if you stay on top of paperwork and classes, things can definitely move faster than you think.

Or slower… because apparently foster care paperwork reproduces overnight.

Foster Care Isn’t About Perfection

And honestly? Even with all the paperwork, waiting, classes, interviews, and moments of wondering what in the world we got ourselves into… I’m still glad we started this journey.

Because at the end of the day, foster care isn’t really about perfect people.

It’s about people willing to learn, grow, show up, and provide a safe place for children who need it.

And trust me… I’m still learning right alongside you.

So if you’re sitting there curious about foster care but feeling overwhelmed, nervous, or unsure where to start — that’s normal.

I’ve been there too.

And hopefully this little Foster Care 101 series can help make the process feel a little less confusing and a little less lonely.

Until next time… have a blessed day. 💚