Links Section

	FREDERICK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
	MD DHR FOSTER CARE
	ADOPTUSKIDS
	NATIONAL ADOPTION CENTER
	NATIONAL FOSTER PARENTS ASSOC.
	FOSTERING FAMILIES TODAY
	FREDDIE MAC FOUNDATION

"We must work tirelessly to make sure that every boy and girl in America who is up for adoption has a family waiting to reach him or her....This is a season of miracles, and perhaps there is no greater miracle than finding a loving home for a child who needs one."
Former President Bill Clinton

"Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to this country and to mankind is to bring up a family."
George Bernard Shaw

"Families are like fudge...mostly sweet with a few nuts."
Unknown Author

MISSION

We exist to provide a supportive network that enriches the lives of foster and adoptive families in Frederick County, Maryland. Through collaboration with the Frederick County Department of Social Services, we will facilitate training, assist with the recruitment and retention of resource families, and advocate for the needs of our members.

Alonzo Mourning (NBA Superstar)
Eleanor Roosevelt (Former First Lady>
Eddie Murphy (Movie Star)
Tommy Davidson (Comedian)
Willie Nelson (Country Musician)
Duante Culpepper (NFL Quarterback)
Babe Ruth (Legendary Baseball Player)
Marilyn Monroe (Legendary Movie Star)
John Lennon (Former Beatles)

Some Famous Adopted People

Aristotle (Philosopher)
Charles Dickens (Writer)
Dave Thomas (Founder of Wendy's)
Edgar Allen Poe (Poet, Writer)
Faith Hill (Country Singer)
George Washington Carver (Inventor)
Halle Berry (Actress)
Ingrid Bergman (Actress)
Gerald Ford (Former President)
Bill Clinton (Former President)
Jim Palmer (Major League Baseball Pitcher)

Some of the earliest documentation of children being cared for in foster homes can be found in the Old Testament and in the Talmud. These references establish caring for dependent children as a duty under law. Early Christian church records also show children were boarded with "worthy widows" who were paid by collections from the congregation. It was English Poor Law, however, that lead to development and eventual regulation of family foster care in the United States. In 1562, these laws allowed the placement of poor children into indentured service until they came of age. This practice was imported to the United States and was the beginning of placing children into homes. Even though indentured service permitted abuse and exploitation, it was a step forward from almshouses where children did not learn a trade and were exposed to horrendous surroundings and unsavory adults. Various forms of indenturing children persisted into the first decade of this century.

In 1636, less than thirty years after the founding of the Jamestown Colony, at the age of seven, BENJAMIN EATON became this nation's first foster child.

In 1853, Charles Loring Brace began the free foster home movement. A minister and director of the New York Children's Aid Society, Brace was concerned about the large number of immigrant children sleeping in the streets of New York. He devised a plan to provide them homes by advertising in the South and West for families willing to provide free homes for these children, whether for charitable reasons or whatever help these children could be to them. In many cases, these children were placed in circumstances similar to indenture. However, Brace's daring and creative action became the foundation for the foster care movement as it exists today.

As a result of the New York Children's Aid Society's placements, sectarian social agencies and state governments became involved in foster home placements. Three states led the movement. Massachusetts, prior to 1865, began paying board to families who took care of children too young to be indentured.

Pennsylvania passed the first licensing law in 1885 which made it a misdemeanor to care for two or more unrelated children without a license. South Dakota began providing subsidies to the Children's Home Society after it was organized in 1893 for its public child care work.

During the early 1900's, social agencies began to supervise foster parents. Records were kept, children's individual needs were considered when placements were made, and the federal government began supporting state inspections of family foster homes. Services were provided to natural families to enable the child to return home and foster parents were now seen as part of a professional team working to find permanency for dependent children.