Supporting Foster Care Changes Lives!
This year, Fairfax County’s theme for National Foster Care Month is “Supporting Foster Care Changes Lives!” We are actively engaging with Fairfax County community members to move them from awareness to action. Our Foster Care and Adoption program has a critical need for more dedicated foster parents and community partners to come alongside us.
We encourage county residents, faith-based organizations, and other public and private organizations to recognize the importance of foster care, consider how they can make an impact, and commit to supporting children and youth in need. There are a variety of ways to get involved through fostering, mentoring, volunteering, donating goods and services, providing respite care and other support for foster parents, and more.
Join us this month — and throughout the year — in making a difference for Fairfax County children and youth in foster care.
- Fill out our interest form to attend a Virtual Monthly Information Meeting, May 13, 2025.
- Attend a Special Community Event on May 20, 2025.
- Sign up for our Foster Family Newsletter.
Learn about the Department of Family Services' Foster Care & Adoption Program.
Join us for our next National Foster Care Month Special Event. Tuesday, May 20 at Burke Centre Library connect with Fairfax County Foster Care and Adoption, community partners and county officials. Whether you're just curious or seriously considering becoming a foster parent, these meetings will answer your questions. Discover the ins and outs of the foster care system, how to become a foster parent, the incredible rewards, and other ways to get involved. 
All children benefit from positive relationships that build up their self-worth. Older youth preparing to leave foster care also need concrete supports such as household goods, housing assistance, employment training, education, mentorship, and reliable transportation. Explore ways to help improve the long-term wellbeing of children and youth in foster care. 
Help us spread awareness of the critical need for community support of foster care and adoption. Check out our easy-to-use toolkit filled with messages and graphics you can share through social media or in your newsletters during Foster Care Month.
Julie Bowman, program manager with Foster Care and Adoption Resource and Support, was a guest on the County Conversation podcast with host Jim Person. Julie talked about Foster Care Month this May, what is foster care, why it matters, debunked a few myths, and shared the ways the community can get involved this month and throughout the year to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children.