Full-Time Foster Care in New York Every Young Person Deserves Someone Who Shows Up.
Every day across New York, children and teens need a safe place to stay while their families work through difficult challenges.
Full-time foster parents provide more than a temporary home. They provide stability, consistency, encouragement, and a place where young people can begin to heal while their families work toward the future.
At Together for Youth, we believe foster care isn’t about replacing a family. It’s about walking beside one during one of life’s most difficult chapters.
What Is Full-Time Foster Care?
Full-time foster care provides a safe, nurturing home for children and teens who cannot safely remain with their parents.
Foster care is temporary. The goal is to provide stability and support while families work toward reunification whenever it is safe and appropriate.
Some children remain in foster care for only a short time. Others stay longer as courts determine the permanency plan that is in their best interest.
Throughout that journey, foster parents provide what every young person deserves: A caring adult, a stable home, and the opportunity to simply be a kid.
Who Can Become a Foster Parent?
You don’t have to be perfect. You simply have to care. Successful foster parents come from many different backgrounds.
You may be:
- Single or married
- Parenting children or an empty nester
- Renting or owning your home
- Working full-time or retired
- Experienced with children or becoming a caregiver for the first time
The qualities that matter most can’t be measured on an application: patience, compassion, flexibility, and a willingness to learn. And, the belief that every young person deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and kindness.
What Does a Full-Time Foster Parent Do?
Foster parents do many of the same things every parent does:
- Prepare meals
- Drive to school
- Attend doctor’s appointments
- Read bedtime stories
- Celebrate accomplishments
- Listen after a difficult day
- Help with homework
- Create routines
- Offer encouragement
Most importantly, they help young people feel safe enough to simply be themselves. The everyday moments often become the moments children remember most.
You’re Never Parenting Alone
One of the biggest misconceptions about foster care is that foster parents are expected to do everything themselves. They aren’t.
Together for Youth believes the best outcomes happen when families are surrounded by support.
As a foster parent, you’ll work alongside a team that may include:
- Caseworkers
- Therapists
- Medical providers
- Teachers
- Birth families
- Kinship caregivers
- Community partners
- Together for Youth staff
Some young people also receive additional therapeutic services or specialized supports based on their individual needs. When that happens, foster families receive additional training, guidance, and ongoing support to help children continue healing in a family environment.
No matter who is on the team, you are never expected to walk the journey alone.
What to Expect
Every foster care journey begins with learning.
Meet our team, ask questions, and learn more about becoming a foster parent.
2. Complete Certification
Complete New York State foster parent requirements, including training, background checks, and a home study.
3. Prepare Your Home
We’ll help ensure your home is ready and answer questions along the way.
4. Welcome a Young Person
When a placement is the right fit, you’ll welcome a child or teenager into your home and begin building a relationship rooted in safety and trust.
5. Receive Ongoing Support
Our team remains beside you with continued training, guidance, and resources throughout every placement.
Why Families Choose Together for Youth
For more than 140 years, Together for Youth has helped children and families build brighter futures across New York State.
When you become a foster parent with Together for Youth, you receive:
- A collaborative team committed to helping every young person thrive
- Comprehensive training
- Ongoing support from experienced professionals
- Trauma-informed guidance
- Resources that strengthen children and families
Frequently Asked Questions About Full-Time Foster Care
Full-time foster care provides a temporary, safe, and nurturing home for children and teens who cannot safely remain with their parents while families work toward reunification or another permanent plan.
Every situation is different. Some placements last a few weeks or months, while others continue longer depending on the child’s circumstances and court decisions.
The primary goal of foster care is reunification whenever it is safe and appropriate. When reunification cannot happen, other permanent options, such as kinship care or adoption, may be explored.
The answer is YES.
You know what is best for your family. We will provide you with as much information as we receive on a child to help you make the decision. We know foster parents want to help every child in need. However, it is important for the child’s success and your family’s stability that it is a good match for everyone in your home. It is absolutely okay to say ‘no’.
On average, it can take a family in crisis up to 1-2 years before reunifying with their children. Although reunification with the birth family is the goal of foster care, we recognize that some children are never able to return to their families and will stay in foster care until a more permanent resource is identified, such as adoption.
Yes. Every Together for Youth foster parent completes New York State certification requirements and receives training before welcoming a child into their home. Ongoing education and support continue throughout your fostering journey.
Every child is unique. Some young people receive additional therapeutic services or specialized supports while in foster care. Together for Youth provides foster families with the training, guidance, and professional support needed to help children succeed.
Yes. During the certification process, we’ll talk with you about your preferences, experience, and strengths to help identify placements that are a good fit for both your family and the young people we serve.
Certified foster parents receive reimbursement to help cover the costs of caring for children placed in their home. During an information session, our team will explain how reimbursement works in New York State.
The answer is NO.
Depending on the county the child is from, working foster parents are eligible for directly-paid or reimbursed payment for the child’s attendance at a NYS certified daycare.
The answer is YES.
Foster homes are expected to function much like an average home. Together for Youth can provide respite care, and parents have the option to hire babysitters when they enjoy an evening out or participate in out-of-home obligations.
Start Your Foster Parent Journey!
Inquiry Form
Therapeutic Foster Care Inquiry Form
