Professional Development - iCARE4 Adoptive And Foster Families

Building Schools That Heal

Professional Development for Educators and Those Supporting Adoptive, Foster, and Kinship Students

At iCARE4 Adoptive And Foster Families, we believe schools can be powerful agents of healing. Our Connected We Thrive™ training series equips educators and school mental health staff with practical, hope-focused strategies to better support students navigating separation, loss, and complex family systems.

Topics Include:

Understanding Loss, Separation & Relational Stress
How early experiences impact learning, behavior, and emotional regulation
Creating Belonging in Classrooms
Everyday practices that help students feel safe, seen, and supported
Partnering With Families for Healing
How to engage adoptive, foster, and kinship caregivers in meaningful ways

Why This Matters

More than 300,000 students in Illinois are adopted, in foster care, or living with kinship caregivers. These children often face emotional, academic and behavioral challenges that stem from their early childhood experiences.

Educators want to help—but many haven’t been trained to recognize or respond to these needs.
That’s where we come in.

Bring Connected, We Thrive™ to Your School

✅ Designed to fit into existing PD days
✅ Aligned with MTSS and SEL frameworks
✅ Appropriate for general education, special ed, and support staff

About the Training Series

Our Connected We Thrive™ professional development is designed with schools in mind: practical, engaging, and easy to implement. Each session blends neuroscience, real-world stories, and actionable tools educators can use immediately.

Training Format:

3-part interactive workshop series (available in-person or virtual)
Sessions are customizable and range from 30 to 90 minutes each
Book one, two, or all three sessions based on your school’s needs

Ideal for teachers, administrators, school counselors, social workers — anyone who interacts with students

By the end of the training, participants will:

✔ Understand how relational trauma affects behavior, learning, and engagement
✔ Recognize the need for regulation before education
✔ Use and share iCARE tools aligned with MTSS tiers
✔ Integrate hope-focused, identity-affirming practices
✔ Strengthen school–caregiver collaboration
✔ Leave with a clear action plan and resources for school-wide use

What Attendees Say...

As a school mental health professional I feel strongly my role extends far beyond the physical school building. In order to support my students I collaborate regularly with parents, community resources, and private mental health providers. The theories I learned in school are helpful. But it has been through ongoing trainings and hands-on experience that I have been able to truly understand the importance of supporting students, both in and out of the school building, in order to help them feel safe and cared for.”

This workshop was one of the best and most helpful to my daily work that I've had in a long time. Every school needs this.

This information really hit home for me. I can see ways we can support and understand our students in ways that cause less stress.

I will be mindful of these different traumas when working with students who may present with other issues.

Now Booking for Fall 2025

Visit EVENTBRITE to sign up for our Fall 2025 Connected We Thrive™ workshops.

To request a customized training or learn more, contact us at info@icare4aaff.org or visit our Contact Page.