Explore our
Resources
Tools, guides, and programs to support adoptive, foster, and kinship families in Illinois and beyond. Curated by the iCARE team, because when we connect, children thrive.
From iCARE
Parenting children takes more than heart. It takes knowledge, community, and people who understand your family’s story. Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been walking this road for years, these resources are here to meet you where you are.
Connected Together™ Newsletter
Each month, our newsletter brings families, educators, and support professionals together with expert insights, real stories, and the latest news from iCARE and the field. Subscribe to receive it directly or browse the full archive.
Recommended Books
Our team has curated a reading list to help families, caregivers, and educators better understand and support adoptive, foster, and kinship children. The list is updated regularly as new titles are reviewed.
Sequoia Families
Sequoia Families is a non-denominational support community for adoptive families in the northern Chicagoland area. Like the sequoia tree that grows tall by intertwining its roots with those around it, adoptive families grow stronger in community with each other. In-person and virtual meetings meet monthly.
News
Stay up to date on what is happening at iCARE, from policy advances and the Adoption & Foster Friendly Schools™ Movement updates to community highlights and upcoming events.
State Programs
Beyond Consequences Institute
Practical resources and training for parents and educators working with children whose behavior is rooted in fear and trauma, not defiance.
Mental Health
Making Sense of Your Worth
A Hope Alight resource helping children in adoptive and foster families explore identity, belonging, and self-worth.
FASD
FASD Behavioral Characteristics
A practical reference chart helping families and clinicians distinguish FASD from co-occurring mental health conditions in children.
Partner Resources
iCARE is connected to a broader community of organizations doing important work for families and children. These are partners we trust.
Youth in Care with Disabilities Resource Guide
Designed to inform, educate, and empower school-based mental health professionals who support youth in care with disabilities, this guide is also a valuable tool for caregivers, child welfare workers, and anyone working to help these young people succeed in school and in life. Produced by the Center for Excellence in Child Welfare at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with support from the U.S. Department of Education’s School-Based Mental Health Grant. iCARE is proud to have supported this project.
Second Nurture
Second Nurture creates support networks for foster, foster-to-adopt, guardian, and kinship families through partnerships with synagogues and community institutions. The magic is in the belonging: monthly gatherings, childcare, meals, and a community that steps up for your family. Second Nurture has an active cohort right here in northern Cook and Lake County, Illinois.
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