The Children’s Home of Jefferson County Foster Care Program is hosting Foster Parenting Informational Sessions in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties. Anyone interested in learning more about Foster Parenting, Adoption and the CHJC Foster Care Program is encouraged to attend.
The first session will be held Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, in the CHJC Campus Dining Hall, 1704 State Street, Watertown. The second will be held Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at the Human Services Center, 80 State Highway 310, Second Floor Conference Room, Canton, New York. Both sessions begin at 6 p.m.
The sessions will help people interested in becoming Foster Parents learn about the CHJC Foster Care Program. Opportunities to ask questions and speak with Foster Care Program staff will be offered in a casual setting. Light refreshments will be served. Ten week Foster Parenting training classes will begin in Canton Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, and in Watertown Monday, Sept. 19, 2016.
The CHJC Foster Care Program provides temporary care for children unable to live with their birth families or guardians. The program allows children who may have been abused or neglected or have behavioral challenges and special needs, the opportunity to live in a family setting, attend public school, and be active members of the community. To provide support for the needs of the entire family, in addition to 24-hour on-call services and crisis response, extensive training is offered to all Foster Parents. They will work as a member of a team of families, social workers, and other professionals to help prepare a child to return to his/her birth family, or to be adopted.
For more information about the training sessions, or on opening your home and heart to these deserving children, please contact Kelly Musselman, Watertown Based Foster Care Recruitment and Training Specialist, at (315)777-9237; or Kimberly Hierholzer, St. Lawrence County Foster Care Recruitment and Training Specialist at (315)229-3481. Or e-mail Kelly at kmusselman@nnychildrenshome.com or Kimberly at khierholzer@nnychildrenshome.com. Additional information is also available at www.nnychildrenshome.com.