Bedtime for Children in Care
Bedtime for Children in Care provides kids with a bedtime treat of a new book, and new PJs and slippers, to make bedtime story time special. Each of New Jersey’s 9,000 children in foster care has a story to tell. Everyday these children face the legacy of neglect and abuse. Within each of their stories is a complexity of emotions. Fear, disappointment and sorrow are intertwined with hope and love. It can be difficult for children in foster care to process such intense emotions. When a child can immerse himself in a story, he can form parallels between his own experiences and those of his heroes, and, maybe, find answers to his own difficult questions.
Unfortunately, the same circumstances that can lead to entry into foster care often make it impossible for children to focus on learning. Another factor is the problem of instability within the foster care system itself. Children in foster care are often moved from one foster home to another, and from school to school. As a result, many children in foster care read at levels well below the average in their grade categories. Even when they are able to work their way through a book or assignment, they often have difficulty fully processing what they are reading. This hinders a child’s ability to excel in school, and, just as important, closes off a vital avenue to healing.
Please assist our children in care as they learn to turn the page on past abuse and neglect by contributing to our Bedtime for Children in Care program.
The Foster and Adoptive Family Services Foundation is a 501(c)(3)charitable organization and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.