Adoption
Celebrating Foster Care Awareness Month: Join AOK in Supporting Local Foster Families
May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and at All Our Kids (AOK), we’re launching a new community campaign to shine a light on the incredible families who foster and adopt in Western Massachusetts-and the unique challenges they face. Thanks to the generous support of PeoplesBank, we’re excited to invite the public to learn more, get…
Read MorePost-Adoption Subsidy
When a child is adopted through DCF, there are ongoing financial supports that remain after the adoption is legalized. If you have questions about post-adoption issues, don’t be shy about reaching out to AOK or contacting our Resource and Support Hub Partner, Adoption Journeys. MassHealth All children adopted through foster care in Massachusetts are…
Read MoreFamily Time (Parent Child Visits)
Adapted from AOK’s Guidebook, “It Takes a Village“ Children in foster care will start visiting with their birth family very soon after they enter care, sometimes as quickly as the next day. Typically, Family Time with birth parents will be supervised and held weekly for one hour at a DCF office. Of the many reasons…
Read MoreMasshealth Coverage for Adopted Children
updated October 2023 Masshealth is the state Medicaid program in Massachusetts, and provides insurance coverage for anyone in the state who qualifies based on income or disability. Children adopted through foster care in Massachusetts are also eligible for insurance coverage through Masshealth, but this is a very small population within the Masshealth system. For that…
Read MoreEp. 25: Meet Child Welfare Advocate and Veteran Foster/Adoptive Parent: Missy Tyler Tarjick
Hearing about Missy’s lifelong involvement in foster care and adoption is inspiring, surprising, and sometimes even jaw dropping. From her own birth family’s fostering journey to her 20-year experience as a foster, adoptive and (more recently) guardianship parent – you are bound to be amazed. Hear about how she manages her large brood (how large?…
Read MoreAnnouncement: Adoption Subsidies
Have you received a notice of suspension from the DCF Adoption Subsidy Unit, despite having turned in all necessary renewal paperwork? During these pandemic times, many of us have. AOK looked into this issue and was able to get the following information from Nakeisha Conward, the Director of the Subsidy Unit. Here is what she…
Read MoreInstant Family has some hidden gems
Heather Adams, journalist and AOK board member, not only got a sneak peek of Instant Family – a new movie about the foster care experience – but also got to chat with the writer and director. Read more to hear her take! Have plans to go see Instant Family this weekend? Maybe you’re waiting until…
Read MoreNo More Empty Nest
As an empty nester, Candice Tauscher wasn’t looking to take up a new hobby like golfing or gardening, she was ready to fill her nest again through foster care. “We probably move more slowly than the other parents,” Candice said. But Candice and her husband, Brian, are just as involved as those first-timers, attending football…
Read MoreShe Could Have Been My Daughter
The first time I held her in my arms, she was only weeks old. Her tiny body nestled between my arm and my belly, contorted in that squishy way newborns often look. It was an outdoor party in the summer, and she was wearing a short-sleeved onesie over her itty bitty diaper, her…
Read MoreEp. 9: National Adoption Month
Back to AOK Podcasts Click here to subscribe to our podcast National Adoption Month November is National Adoption Month! Listen to learn about a special connection Massachusetts has to this awareness-raising month, and about a local resource where you can see pictures and read stories of kids in foster care!
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