Programs

The Learning Source:

The Learning Source is our continuing education programming for foster and kinship parents. When we are able to meet in person, our classes are held on Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:30am throughout Colorado. The classes are always free for Colorado foster and kinship parents and always include free childcare, giving parents personal time of respite and kids time to spend with other children who have experienced similar displacement issues.

Our Learning Source classes are taught from a trauma-informed approach, helping foster and kinship parents learn new skills in order to meet children where they are and begin the healing process.  Our classes help make the foster parenting experience a community effort. Through our Learning Source program, we help children in care and their caregivers create positive family dynamics by building trusting relationships and offering essential tools to navigate difficulties. Training topics include: trauma, navigating the special education system, attachment, the Indian Child Welfare Act, unconscious bias, various therapy options, disorders, behaviors, LGBTQ support group and expert panels. Our expert panels have included child welfare alumni panels, judicial panels, human services panels, appellate courts panels and elected officials panels.

Fostering outside of Colorado and interested in our classes? Foster and kinship caregivers from 42 states are regularly using The Learning Source. We are thrilled to be seeing so many out of state caregivers in the classroom. Our funding is currently focused on Colorado-based families. Foster and kinship parents outside of Colorado pay $20 per training in the Learning Source. This helps us offset the additional cost of hosting larger groups.  If your local county or agency is interested in partnering with us from out of state, we welcome their inquiry at info@fostersource.org. 

Not a foster parent, but interested in our classes? Foster Source provides support services for foster and kinship families in Colorado. We charge a fee of $25 per class for non foster parents which supports our trauma-informed speakers and ongoing security/hosting of the Learning Source platform. If you are a case manager, teacher, social worker, CASA and/or adoptive parent(s), we welcome you in the classroom. You will receive two hours of continuing education units per class.

Relief Services:

In order to nurture foster and kinship parents so that they can foster better and foster longer, Foster Source provides items  that soften the foster care experience for the family and/or the child in care. When caregivers are valued, children in care begin to heal sooner. The four items that are requested most often are weighted items, car seats, mattresses and bunk beds. We often help supply diapers as well as gift cards for items or experiences.

Therapeutic Services:

Mental health services for foster and kinship parents are a critical tool to keep foster and kinship parents fostering. In partnership with BetterHelp, Foster Source sponsors caregivers with regular virtual therapy visits. We also offer equine-assisted parenting practice labs for caregivers in partnership with Groundwork Ranch.

Family Advocacy:

Family Advocacy is ideal for kinship caregivers, new foster parents, foster or kin parents who are facing various challenges regardless of how long they have been in their role. It is a voluntary service, free to caregivers, and intended to last three to six months. Caregivers are matched with one of our family advocates who will help create a meaningful service plan to meet each family’s unique needs.