Foster America

Several years ago, my sister and I watched my 2-year-old nephew’s behavior change dramatically. He started wetting the bed, throwing temper tantrums and getting frustrated so quickly. In any other child, it might have been normal “terrible twos,” but in him we knew something was definitely wrong.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a plan Tuesday to bring an infusion of fresh talent and ideas into the ranks of its local child welfare professionals. The board unanimously approved a $1.2 million contract to fund five 18-month child welfare fellowships through Foster America, a fast-growing nonprofit led by a former foster youth with an impressive career in Washington, D.C.

David* is a foster youth alumni living in Washington, D.C. When he was eight years old, a neighbor saw him running in the street and called Child Protective Services. David was placed in foster care, and for the next ten years, he bounced from home to home, eventually losing faith in finding a permanent family, or being reunited with his biological caregiver.