Mental Health
Kids entering into foster care tend to struggle deeply with the first day. They may come to know that transition day as traumatic and one of the worst days of their lives. During the First Light program, we help them through that day. We talk with them about what is happening and help them through step by step. We also give them an opportunity to express and process their emotions. This empowers the kids to be prepared and breathe through the entire day.
Next Home
To prepare for their next home, we ensure the transitioning children have clothing and toiletries to support their personal sense of dignity. We also provide their next home with anything the child may need. For example, if they need diapers, bedding, or a crib, we provide those items, or have a partner work with them to provide them. We also offer parenting support groups to prepare foster parents for parenting their foster child, as the child processes trauma.
Resources
Foster or Kinship parents are also given a packet of resources, and Instacart gift card, and an invite to our classes for emotional regulation support. This step is vital for families to be able to get the help they need going forward. The resources packet includes information on nonprofit partners that provide services like court appearance help, government benefits assistance, list of therapists that take medicaid, and much more.
Volunteers Make a Difference
Volunteers that work with our First Light program are the life blood of what we do. Children entering into foster care are experiencing many extreme high or extreme low emotions. Our trained volunteers are able to understand the behaviors and see beyond – the child struggling to understand what is going on.
If you have a passion for children and want to help a child on this crucial day, please contact us below to get more information. We would love to get you connected to help kids today!
How You Can Help
Getting Involved
Join the Team
Volunteering for our program is how we help children in foster care. Be the Light in Foster Care!
Make a Donation
Donations are a way to make a difference in the lives of foster children. There are many ways of donating that don’t always include money. Check out our donation page to see how you can help!
Clothing/ Toiletries Drive
Do you belong to a group or church that would like to help? A drive for clothing and items needed to be able to provide these to the children is a great need for us. Not only for everyday clothes, but also seasonal clothing. Click below to get a list of items needed or get in touch with us on how you can partner.
Program Sponsors
Be Their First Light
For a child entering foster care, the first day is often one of the hardest days of their life. They’re leaving everything familiar, often with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing, and heading into a home full of strangers.
The Light House’s First Light Program is there for that day. We walk with each child through the transition step by step, explain what’s happening, and give them room to name and work through what they’re feeling. We make sure they arrive at their next home with fresh clothing and toiletries, so they keep their sense of dignity. We also make sure that home is ready for them, whether that means diapers, bedding, or a crib. Foster and kinship parents get a resource packet, an Instacart gift card, and an invitation to our parenting support and emotional regulation classes, so the whole family has support long after the first day.
As a First Light sponsor, you make all of this possible. Your support puts essentials in a child’s hands, gets a new home ready, and connects families to help with court appearances, benefits, therapists who take Medicaid, and more.
One day can shape how a child remembers everything that comes after. Help us make it a day of care instead of fear.
Together we can "Be the Light In Foster Care!"
