May Is Foster Parent Appreciation Month

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is proudly recognizing May as Foster Parent Appreciation Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary foster families and relative and kinship caregivers across the state who have opened their hearts, their homes and their lives to care for the state’s most vulnerable children.

“Our incredible foster parents, relative and kinship caregivers are our true partners as we work to transform Illinois from a child welfare system into a child well-being system,” said Illinois DCFS Director Heidi E. Mueller. “Their commitment not only helps create brighter futures for children, but it also strengthens our shared vision – that every child and youth can grow and thrive in a family.”

Illinois DCFS makes every effort to reunify children with their families whenever it is possible. In the small number of cases where reunification cannot occur – less than 4% of the time – the Department strives to ensure children remain connected to their community, school and the people they love. To make this possible, DCFS works diligently to recruit families in every area of the state to join the 6,352 licensed foster families who have already made the life changing decision to welcome children into their homes.

Becoming a foster parent is a serious and meaningful commitment to a child. Illinois DCFS offers a wide range of services to ensure foster parents have the support they need to help the children in their home thrive. These supports include ongoing training and a monthly stipend to help cover essentials such as food, clothing and housing. Youth in care also receive medical coverage designed specifically for their needs; therapeutic, educational, recreational and crisis support services; and access to caseworkers and peer support groups who can assist the youth and their foster family. To further support foster families, the DCFS Startup Funds Program provides preloaded Visa cards to help offset the costs and provide items a child needs when they arrive at the home. This allows caregivers to quickly and easily purchase bedding, clothing, personal hygiene items and other essentials to help the child feel safe, supported and welcomed.

Complementing the Department’s traditional foster care program is the new Relative Caregiver Certification program, made possible through the passage of the KIND Act, signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in 2025. This program is creating a path for the 8,700 children and youth in care who are living with relatives. The Relative Caregiver Certification program provides increased financial benefits and a simplified process for relatives, such as grandparents, to become certified caregivers. As a result of this initiative and the department’s focus on ensuring timely permanency for all youth in care, Illinois has been ranked #1 in the country for kinship care by the Administration for Children and Families.

Together, these programs strengthen the Department’s commitment to ensuring every child and youth in our care is living with a loving and supportive family, reducing barriers that can delay permanency by expanding resources for traditional foster families, and easing the path for relatives who step in to care for the children they know and love.

Foster homes are needed for children of all ages, including sibling groups, adolescents, African American and Latino children, children with special medical needs, teenage mothers and their babies and LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex and asexual) children. To learn more about some of the children in need of a foster family, visit the Heart Gallery of Illinois at https://letitbeus.org/heart-gallery-of-illinois/.

To learn more about becoming a licensed foster parent, fill out the online interest form on the DCFS website: https://dcfs.illinois.gov. Click on Loving Homes, then on Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent.

About the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS): Our vision is for every child and youth in Illinois to grow and thrive in a loving family. To achieve this goal, DCFS promotes the safety and well-being of children, youth, and families by responding to reports of suspected child abuse and neglect and providing family-centered care and connection to resources to strengthen families and keep children safely at home. Our values – family focused, integrity, respect, empathy and equity – are at the forefront of every decision we make to ensure children are safe and families have the resources they need to succeed. To make an anonymous report of suspected child abuse or neglect, visit childabuse.illinois.gov.

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