Foster Care

In 2015 Sarah and her family opened their home to become foster parents. They wanted to provide a loving and safe place for kids to land when those children’s families’ lives were in crisis. It was through this experience that Sarah became focused on the intersection of trauma and education. Through these experiences of fostering children, Sarah became familiar with the many challenges that make up the foster care system. She quickly became an advocate and an outspoken voice for children and youth in foster care.  

The Family Trusted Adviser Workgroup – Honored to be invited by Commissioner Miranda-Staub, Sarah participated in the Family Trusted Advisor Workgroup, one of the many groups that fed into the Strategic Plan for a 21st Century DCBS. Over many months she was able to provide critical information about the realities of what she has experienced and seen across the spectrum of foster care, while providing ideas and solutions to address some of the most pressing issues such as addressing much needed family services and resources for families so that foster care can be avoided when safely possible, retention of foster parents and recognizing that foster parents are part of the invisible workforce on behalf of kids in care,  utilizing technology across the board when certifying new homes, to the realities of the huge gap we have of families to care for our teens, youth of color and kids and youth who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences  – Foster Care Presenter
In 2016 Sarah was part of a large community group of individuals in the Louisville area to introduce the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences through a series of screenings of the documentary Resilience: The Biology of Stress And The Science of Hope followed by powerful panel discussions. Sarah has continued the conversation wherever she can with whomever she can. In 2021 she was invited by the Bounce Coalition and the Kentucky Youth Advocates to present to front line workers, teachers, politicians,social workers and healthcare professionals about how ACEs connect to kids in foster care and what we can do to help build healthier and positive relationships with kids, whether we know or don’t know if they are in foster care.