Koinonia News
News About Fostering & Adopting
Honoring Hispanic Heritage Within the Context of Foster Care
National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed September 15th - October 15th. Honoring Hispanic heritage is so important, especially in California where 48% of children are considered to be of Latin or Hispanic descent. It can be challenging to sort out your identity as...
Introducing Koinonia’s New Executive Director
April 20, 2022 Koinonia Family Services is pleased to announce that Dr. Tiffany Sickler has been selected by the Board of Directors as its new Executive Director. With extensive qualifications and 15 years of management experience in the field of children and family...
40 Years of Serving Foster Youth & Families
As we look back on the past 40 years, there’s certainly a lot to take in. Since 1982, we’ve had the privilege of serving thousands of foster youth and resource parents. What these numbers fail to capture is the wide range of emotions that come with each individual...
It Takes a Village: Community Brings Christmas Cheer to Foster Youth
Each holiday season, we are overwhelmed by the depth of generosity from our community, and Christmas of 2021 was no exception. We want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible volunteers and donors who showered our foster youth and families with love. Whether it...
How to Support Your Foster Child During the Holidays
The holiday season is typically a time we look forward to, associated with positive memories, fun traditions, spending time with family, and spreading good cheer. However, for foster children who have been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect, the...
November is National Adoption Month
For many, November marks the official beginning of the holiday season. At Koinonia, we look forward to this time of year for a different reason. National Adoption Month is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the nearly 430,000 children currently in foster...
How to Support Your Foster Child During the Holidays
The holiday season is typically a time we look forward to, associated with positive memories, fun traditions, spending time with family, and spreading good cheer. However, for foster children who have been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect, the...
A Profound Moment: The Wisdom of a Foster Child
Yesterday, I met an old soul living in the body of a ten-year-old boy. We were working on an in-home assessment together, and I got to the question, "What is the best thing about this family so far?" Without prompting or prodding, he tells me: Food. They feed me and I...
The Journey to a Forever Family
It was 2017 when I first met Hannah and her younger siblings, Aiden and Isabella. As the eldest, 11-year-old Hannah had taken on the role of leader and protector. Aiden (6) and Bella (3) were timid and shy, watching Hannah’s every move to see how they should proceed....
What Is Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC)?
If you have looked into fostering at all, you have may have heard the term ISFC, or “intensive services foster care.” So, what exactly does that mean? Intensive services foster care is a level of care. Foster youth who are considered ISFC have a higher level of need...
Why Family Reunification & Preservation Always Comes First
In our society, there can be misconceptions about why children end up in foster care, and therefore a hesitancy towards reunification. While there are certainly cases of abuse and severe neglect, there is usually a more complex reason a child enters the foster care...