Angel’s Foster Care and Adoption Story
Meet Don and Emily, who became Fairfax County foster parents in 2018. After providing respite care for a couple of children, they welcomed 15-month-old Angel into their home in 2021 and recently adopted him. Don and Emily developed a close relationship with Angel’s biological family along the way, which has been a blessing to everyone. Angel, who is now an active 4-year-old, is receiving the care and support he needs from the whole family and he is thriving. Learn more about this family and how their choice to foster has led to such joy.
2024 Fairfax County Foster Parent of the Year
Congratulations to Calvin Dyson! He has been recognized as the 2024 Fairfax County Foster Parent of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Calvin’s desire to make the world a better place led him to adopt two sons and foster additional children. Calvin is focused on making each child feel comfortable in his home by honoring their language and culture. He has worked hard to communicate across language barriers. Calvin has taken the boys to grocery stores that carry familiar foods from their home countries. In addition, Calvin has worked tirelessly with school personnel, social workers, therapists, and medical professionals to help his foster children. When Calvin receives calls about children in need of foster placement, he believes the children are not the sum of their behaviors and histories on file. He believes that with the right support any youth can be successful. Be inspired by this family’s story.
Smith’s Foster Care & Adoption Journey
Meet Fairfax County foster parents, Tremayne and Bryant. This couple received their first foster care placement, Smith, on July 13, 2020, when he was only 11 days old. So far, this has been their only placement and it resulted in the family adopting Smith. Learn more about Tremayne and Bryant’s story and how they work together as a team with the department to keep Smith connected with his birth family and relatives.
2023 Fairfax County Foster Parents of the Year
Congratulations to LaToya Berryman and LaKisha Bell. They have been recognized as the 2023 Fairfax County Foster Parents of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. LaToya and LaKisha initially became foster parents to LaToya’s nieces in 2016, later adopting the children. They felt that they had more love to give to other children who needed a safe and loving home and continued fostering. Despite demanding professional jobs, LaKisha and LaToya have created a home that is filled with love and joy, making sure that the needs of all the children in the home are met. In addition to providing them with fun and creative outlets for their energy, LaToya and Lakisha work with therapists, health professionals, and teachers to make sure that the children are reaching developmentally and socially appropriate goals. LaKisha and LaToya are understanding, thoughtful, intentional, and patient parents who strive to constantly meet the individual needs of each child.
Adoptando a Alejandro: el viaje de Gina y Antoinette desde la crianza temporal hasta la adopción (Adopting Alejandro)
Cuando conoces por primera vez a Gina y Antoinette, lo primero que le llama a uno la atención es la calidez y mentalidad abierta que ambas comparten. Estas latinas tienen mucho amor que ofrecer a todos los que las rodean y eso se nota, especialmente en la manera en la que cuidan de su hijo Alejandro. Estas nuevas madres adoptivas están marcando una diferencia en los niños en hogares de acogida.
Katie and Zak’s Foster Care and Adoption Journey
Meet Katie and Zak. Katie is a teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools and a single mom who became part of a large extended family when Zak came into her life when he was 2 years old. Their story shows how foster care and adoption can knit together the lives and hearts of people from different backgrounds, locations, and cultures to make something beautiful and affirming for everyone involved. Learn more about their story and how we help connect children with forever families through adoption.
Meet Sue Christenson
Recognized as the 2022 Foster Parent of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Sue is a retired psychiatric nurse who became a foster parent with Fairfax County in 2008. Her medical knowledge and selfless dedication have been invaluable in caring for medically fragile infants. Sue has supported children as they transition to permanency through reunification, placement with relatives, and adoption and is incredible with bridging the gap with birth parents, relatives, and adoptive parents. We are so grateful to Sue for her years of service.
Meet the Kokotajlos
Congratulations to the Kokotajlos! They’ve been recognized as the 2021 Fairfax County Foster Parents of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). Get to know Scott and Marie Kokotajlo and how they developed supportive, trusting relationships in which children felt safe and nurtured, and the children’s biological family felt at ease. As they moved toward family reunification, the Kokotajlos came alongside the children’s mother and shared parenting strategies they’d found to work well with each child. The children returned home to their mother more than a year ago and both families remain in touch giving further evidence of the strong, caring relationships the Kokotajlos have built with the whole family.
Meet Foster Parent, Aisha Bigbee
Learn from foster parent, Aisha Bigbee, about developing partnerships with biological parents, forming lasting bonds with children in her care, and the joy she feels when families reunite and kids thrive!
The Morales Family’s Adoption Journey
Today, nearly 200 Fairfax County children are in foster care through the Department of Family Services' Foster Care and Adoption Program. When reunification with the birth family or other relatives is not possible, we seek a permanent home through adoption. Check out this video (Facebook or YouTube) about the journey to adoption for special families like this one who adopted four brothers.
Meet the Dredges
Recognized as the 2020 Fairfax County Foster Parents of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), Danielle and Jesse Dredge have provided Fairfax foster children with stability, structure, nurturing, and connection. The Dredge family has fostered a sibling set of brothers, a teen mother and her child, and a teen male. With each placement they have been influential in how they manage the children’s adjustment to their placement, provide interventions and strategies when children have noted struggles, set clear boundaries, and worked with the child and biological family toward reunification. Get to know them and why they want to make a difference in the lives of children through foster care.
A Temporary Home Becomes a Permanent Family
Meet Christa, Isabella, Daniel and Tori who became a permanent family through adoption this year. As foster parent to Tori from birth, Christa was ready to adopt the three siblings when it became clear that they would not be able to return home from foster care. Check out the video to learn how we help connect children with forever families through adoption.