What is the goal of Gateway Woods' Foster Program?

Foster Girls

The Services We Offer

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Job 14:7

The Benefits

Foster Children

Gateway Woods foster care provides:

Gateway Woods' foster parents enjoy support and case management by the foster care specialist to a degree that is rarely seen in this difficult field. This expertise and the fact that we are a Christian agency are the most commonly stated reasons why both veteran and newly licensed families choose to join the Gateway Woods team.

Our staff are mature and experienced in child welfare. Our commitment is to bring together the best services to meet the child's needs, within the structure and nurturing of our foster homes.

Children In Foster Care

Gateway Woods' foster children include infants through youth 18 years of age or older.

This may include children who have been neglected or physically or sexually abused, delinquent, pregnant teens or teens with babies, or they may be youth in need of training in independent living skills. They may also include children with mild or serious physical or mental handicaps or substance-affected infants. Often there are sibling groups in the same foster home.

Foster children may be delayed socially, mentally or academically because of inconsistencies in their care or for medical reasons. They may come from several previous placements including foster care, residential childcare or some other institutional program. The child may come directly to foster care from a dysfunctional home with ineffective, neglectful or abusive parents.

Some children may need only a brief stay in foster care; in other cases, long-term foster care is their only option. Some become available for adoption.

Foster to Adopt is an option chosen by certain families coordinated through Gateway Woods' Adoption Program.

We place a high emphasis on carefully matching the child's needs with the abilities and desires of the family. The decision to place a child is a mutual one between Gateway Woods and the foster family.

The Rewards

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40

Beginning

Who can be foster parents?

How do I become a foster parent?

Families &Futures For Children

Foster Teens

Christian foster care provides a family and a future for a lost or forgotten child. "Families and futures for children" means bringing light and order in place of darkness and disorder. It means Christian commitment and caring demonstrated through continued service and sacrifice when the going gets tough. Most importantly, a Christian foster family brings God's love and Christ's hope to the fallen and confused world of a child.

Treatment is not only about methods, but about minds and lives being changed through the power of God's love and Christian living. You can help to transform the lonely, pain-filled life of a young child into one of safety and happiness by sharing your love, your care, and your home!

Specialized/Therapeutic Foster Care

Specialized Foster Care - provides treatment and care for children with mental, physical or emotional disabilities, who require additional supervision and assistance. This may include medical problems.

Therapeutic Foster Care - provides treatment and care for children who are seriously emotionally disturbed or who may be developmentally disabled.

Foster to Adopt - for certain children who are or may become adoptable, this option is often considered by foster families. Careful coordination with Gateway Woods' Adoption Program can help make this a wonderful experience facilitated by the same case manager.