iCARE4 Adoptive And Foster Families

More Than Trauma-Informed

Being trauma-aware is the first step. But true transformation happens when schools go further. Our approach is:

Hope-Focused: We equip schools to restore belief in what’s possible.
Resiliency-Oriented: We build on strengths, not just manage symptoms.
Family-Centered: We help educators and caregivers work in partnership—because healing happens in relationship.

This lens shapes everything we do—from our Connected We Thrive™ Professional Development series of workshops to our Connection Kits™. It’s not about adding to your plate—it’s about lifting the load.

Helping Schools Heal: Tools and Training That Build Connections

So often, families of adoptive, foster, and kinship children struggle because schools misunderstand their children’s needs. Educators are doing their best but often lack the critical tools and training to support these students. Families work tirelessly to help their children succeed but feel isolated and blamed when challenges arise. Even mental health providers, despite their expertise, are often unprepared for the complexities these children bring.

That’s the reason iCARE4 Adoptive And Foster Families is here—We are a 501c3 formed by passionate clinicians, educators, and parents who live this work every day. Our mission is to ensure every adopted, foster, and kinship child has a school that knows how to support them no matter where they live. We empower schools, families, and policymakers with evidence-based education and resources that address these children’s unique needs—holistic, collaborative, and grounded in a family-systems approach.

With generous support from donors and partners, we provide no-cost and subsidized professional training and hands-on tools to schools and decision-makers. Our workshops equip staff with trauma-informed, attachment based, family-centered strategies to help children feel safe, seen, and supported. Our iCARE4 Schools Connection Kits™ bring practical, resiliency-oriented hope-focused tools directly into classrooms, helping educators apply these strategies effectively.

Because Connection is the Key. 🔑 And Because When We Connect, Children Thrive!

Who We Support

Our tools and trainings are designed for educators and school-based mental health professionals working with:

Foster, adoptive, and kinship care youth
Children navigating family transitions
Children with complex family stories

These students often face disrupted attachments and deep loss. With the right support, they can thrive.

Real Tools. Real Change.

Our Connection Kits™ are already being used in hundreds of schools to help students regulate and reconnect. Each kit contains evidence-informed, classroom-friendly materials to support emotional safety and connection.

Our professional development is tailored to meet educators where they are. Whether it’s a 60-minute staff training or our in-depth “Connected, We Thrive™” series, schools walk away with real strategies that work.

Join the Movement

Together, we can ensure no child falls through the cracks.

Let’s build healing-centered schools—where every child, every family, and every story is honored.

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If we want our youth to thrive in college and beyond, we have to start by showing up for them in elementary, middle, and high school. We have to equip our educators with the tools to understand, uplift, and walk alongside them. The Connection Kit™ is one step toward building that bridge– and I truly believe it will change lives.

School-based Mental Health Professionals Training (by C.A.S.E.) is an outstanding resource for school based professionals and behavioral health specialists. The training program is filled with evidence-based research strategies for supporting youth and families who have experienced the challenges associated with the world of adoption, foster and kinship parenting relationships... It can be life-changing for all involved.

...Supporting children in adoptive, foster and kinship families can be some of the most complex and challenging work for school-based clinicians. The good news is that schools can be transformational in the lives of these children when these challenges are seen through a trauma-responsive lens. iCARE provides schools with intensive training on complex developmental trauma and shares evidence-based practices that are essential to help schools meet the unique needs of these students and families, helping them engage and develop socially, behaviorally and academically.

The training not only offers extraordinary guidance for those whose lives have been touched by the related trauma of these lived experiences but supports trauma-informed practices for young people from many backgrounds. The training will impact my professional practice in a multitude of ways. The knowledge base is one that holds promise for all who work with children and families.

I was a Professional School Counselor for seventeen years and I would have loved to receive this kit. The materials address key mental health concerns, including trauma, attachment, identity development, and school-related challenges. I know this will be a great addition to schools throughout the country!