Keep your stuff!!!! You'll need it. I'm a foster mom with alexandria.

Thanks, OP, for considering becoming a foster care provider.

OP here. Thank you all for these helpful responses.

Just remember things expire, go outdated and become recalled so holding onto a carseat for a long time is a bad idea as it will most likely be expired.

I am a FM in DC. They didn't provide anything and most items had to be on site prior to placement. We did a five point seat and had a booster on hand that were good but not great and once we got the placement we upgraded. Same with clothes we had a couple of basic Tee's around for the age group but overall the 24hr wal mart went into full effect. Our placement came from another Foster home that kept them very well so clothes came in mass amounts.

The compensation is way more than $15 but it comes almost a month and a half after placement. In a way you are playing catch up with the expenses. Many day/camp and aftercare facilities won't take vouchers so you may have to pay out of pocket and wait for reimbursement. (and I do mean wait) Chances are the rates charged are over the allotment and you won't get the full amount back.

It is far higher in this area than stated. It is also much much higher for those with disabled kids.

wow, that is astounding that the compensation is so low. I know someone who cares for several developmentally disabled foster children (they live w/her and her dh) and makes over 6 figures. However possibly this is due to the additional complications of their disabilities and extra care required. Not sure.

My brother and SIL were foster parents (They ultimately adopted 3 kids) and what helped was that my SIL built up a network of other foster families who would pass gear between them or keep an eye out for deals, yard sales, etc. It helps if you've got storage space. Usually the kids arrived with almost nothing and would take clothes, etc with them when they moved on.

Anonymous wrote: I know someone who had the unfortunate experience of working for Mo. Co. Foster care a while back....They had horror stories to tell me, the workers use antiquated expired carseats to transport children, the agency is quite cheap with providing much of anything be it material items or just general support to foster parents, and they are in general a horrible place to deal with on any level. You may get a voucher to a thrift store if you are lucky. I would look to foster in another county if possible or through a private agency that contracts foster care services. Good luck

This is partly true. They used to have vouchers to Target and a few other stores but I don't know if that is true now. The workers often use older seats but at one point they did replace some of them. I can't imagine most of the workers use booster seats. As a foster parent, I would offer your seat for transport and insist on installing (I do believe they make the new workers go for car seat training). If the foster parents cannot afford seats, they can go to the county car seat program and get a free one. BUT, you do get a clothing allowance and part of your stipend is for clothing and other necessities. Private agency's provide far less and most have the difficult/hard to place kids. Its not that they are cheap but they pick and choose how the money is spent and where the priorities are - which you may not agree with regardless of if you are right. It often depends on where/how the money comes and the time of year (end of the fiscal year).

My DD (who was foster-to-adopt) arrived on our doorstep in shorts, tank top, old sneakers, no socks, and a brown paper lunch bag that had a clean pair of panties in it. Thank god she was distracted by our excited-to-meet-her dog, and I had time to compose myself.

I know someone who had the unfortunate experience of working for Mo. Co. Foster care a while back....They had horror stories to tell me, the workers use antiquated expired carseats to transport children, the agency is quite cheap with providing much of anything be it material items or just general support to foster parents, and they are in general a horrible place to deal with on any level. You may get a voucher to a thrift store if you are lucky. I would look to foster in another county if possible or through a private agency that contracts foster care services. Good luck

In my experience, no. I got nothing. Not even an extra set of clothes. If the child comes from another foster home or has belongings, they would likely follow the child, but don't count on anything.

Anonymous wrote:You get paid as fosster parents. That is supposed to cover the cost

I think the rate is about $15 a day tho so...

You get paid as fosster parents. That is supposed to cover the cost

My husband and I hope to become foster parents after our two bio kids are a bit older and we can afford to move out of our matchbox-sized home (looking at about 3-4 years from now). I'm wondering, does the county provide things like car seats, clothes, bottles, etc. when placing a child in a foster home? I've been saving our baby gear for when we're able to foster, but if the county provides it I might donate the stuff sooner. Thanks in advance.