Many people recall their childhoods as a time of play, learning, and growth. But for hundreds of local children, this critically formative time has brought the suffering of abuse, abandonment, neglect and trauma. They have a great need for caring homes now to love them, nurture them and show them a more positive way of life. Our adoption services connect children who have suffered abuse and neglect with loving forever families.
Foster or Adoption?
In the communities of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion or Sumter County, Florida, approximately 1,600 children are living in crisis every day. Kids Central recruits, trains, licenses, and supports foster parents and children who have suffered abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Resource parents provide nurturing, temporary homes to children during their greatest moment of need. Resource parents provide a loving refuge until the child is able to return home or transition to a permanent living arrangement. Kids Central’s caring foster parents are everyday heroes who make lifelong difference in just a short time.
Give The Gift Of A Family
Many people recall their childhoods as a time of play, learning, and growth. But for hundreds of local children, this critically formative time has brought the suffering of abuse, abandonment, neglect, and trauma. They have a great need for caring homes now to love them, nurture them and show them a more positive way of life.
Foster and adoptive parents respond with compassion and love to fill this need. Foster parents provide caring temporary homes to children in need, creating a lifelong impact in a relatively short period of time. Adoptive parents become the legal parents to a child, providing a forever family. Both foster and adoptive parenting are vitally important and change the world—one child at a time.
Change A Life For Good
Hundreds of children in our own communities need safe, loving homes, and they need them now. In the Florida Counties of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter, over 1,600 children have experienced the trauma of abuse or neglect and been removed from their parents or caregivers. Less than half of these children are in licensed foster homes with loving families, and many are available for adoption. The need is great, especially for older youth, but so are the blessings for those who feel called to open their hearts and homes to children who have suffered.
Is Fostering Or Adoption Right For You?
Ask yourself the following questions to help decide if becoming a foster or adoptive parent is right for you. Will you be able to:
- Love and care for a child with a challenging background and sometimes difficult behavior?
- Help the child develop a sense of belonging and security in your home—whether on a temporary basis or as a permanent family member?
What Are The Requirements To Foster Or Adopt?
Foster and adoptive parent candidates must:
- Be a Florida resident age 21 and older;
- Be financially stable;
- Be able to provide appropriate sleeping arrangements
- Be able to provide support, care and stability
Importantly, foster and adoptive parents don’t have to be young, wealthy, or a married couple with a stay-at-home caregiver. The most important requirements are a heart for children and a willingness to make a difference for life…
Join Our Community of Care
Contact Rebecca Rimar at 352-873-6332 or fill out our contact form.
WE’RE HERE
To Help
At Kids Central, our mission of service, excellence, and caring is reflected in everything we do. We are dedicated to achieving measurable, positive outcomes for children and families in the Central Florida communities we serve. Please join us in creating brighter futures for children and families.
Have Questions?
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IN THE
Community
CARE Awards Honor Those Who Go Above and Beyond in Child Welfare
We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all the incredible staff, dignitaries, board members, and community partners who joined us for our CARE Awards on Friday, February 7th! It was an amazing event, and we’re so grateful for the opportunity to honor and celebrate those who go above and beyond in child …
ReadKids Central Staff Enjoy Annual Company Retreat
Our annual company retreat, held on February 14th, was a day full of fun, team building, recognition, and great company! Staff from Wildwood, Ocala, and the Healthy Start/MIECHV Program came together for an amazing time at the beautiful Hickory Point Recreation Park in Tavares. From playing fun team-building games to enjoying delicious food, we had …
ReadCasino Night: A Boot Scootin’ Good Time For a Great Cause
What an amazing time we had at our Casino Night held on February 28th! Many thanks to everyone who put on their cowboy boots and joined us for a fun-filled evening of dancing, casino games, delicious food, and great company. We raised over $8,000 in important funds that will directly help provide the foster children …
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