A new fiscal year brings new potential and new possibilities, but also gets us to reflect on our successes over the last 12 months. This year we celebrate our new programs, our permanency achievements, and the little wins (but really, is any win “little?”) all along the way. This episode we are joined by a couple members of leadership as we explore everything the last year held- and look to a bright future. For more information please call our main office at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

In this episode we’re shining a light on sharing the voices of our LGBTQ+ staff and allies, their stories, hopes, struggles, and celebrations. Let us always find our pride, and remember wherever life takes you, we see you and we honor you every day. While these reflections are deeply personal, we also recognize they don’t capture all LGBTQ+ experiences. Each journey is unique, and every voice adds to the larger story of pride, resilience, and community.

Views and opinions expressed in Resource Families Thrive are those of the hosts or guests and do not represent the viewpoints of the agency. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.

In past episodes we have talked about how disparities exist in foster care- minority and marginalized groups are a larger part of our foster care population than they should be. Part of this is because of those things people don't always realize they hold: implicit bias in particular. Erin Reynolds, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, joins us again to talk about how we as an agency and a foster care program do what we can to overcome these internal challenges. For more information please visit our website at SSYAF.ORG or call our main office at (916) 344-0199.

Views and opinions expressed in Resource Families Thrive are those of the hosts or guests and do not represent the viewpoints of the agency. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.

For the past few years we have talked a lot about two primary ways people can help children and families who are supported by different systems of care: providing foster care and mentoring. There are, of course, other ways that you could be involved in supporting your community- and one of those is through charitable giving. While people think about giving most around holidays, this is a year-round endeavor coordinated by our Philanthropy team. Jessica Kreb from Philanthropy joins us for this episode to share how people like you support our programs year-round. For more information give us a call at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

Updated November of 2024! Welcome to Stanford Sierra Youth & Families' introductory episode of Resource Families Thrive! We hope you learn more about our agency, the people who will be working with families like yours, and how you can get involved to support youth and families in our communities!

For more information please visit our website at SSYAF.ORG or give us a call at (916) 344-0199.

Research shows us that when a child or teen stays in their community, with people they already know, the impacts of entry into the foster care system are reduced. This is called Kinship Care, and is increasing in priority through legislation and policy changes. This month we're joined by Risha from our Family & Youth Partnership program, sharing her lived experience as a kinship caregiver. To learn more about our kinship supports including the approval process, call (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

This time of year is a great time to think back on what we have done in the Foster Care realm, and what we are looking forward to doing. Who better to explore with than our Program Director, Danielle Paminto? In this episode we discuss some of the driving factors behind our program and operations, and some of the upcoming changes to the foster care system as a whole. To learn more contact us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.org.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests and the host are their own and do not always reflect the positions or policies of the organization as a whole.

In the past we have talked about terms like “generational foster care,” and the ways cycles happen in our systems. Cycles of abuse, neglect, hurt feelings, loss, or grief. How do we break those cycles and replace them with something new- healing, love, family, or permanency? It is our great pleasure to be joined by Will Gabri, one of our Board Members, who shares his experiences from being a former foster youth to a resource parent and, eventually, adoptive parent. To learn more call us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

When a child or teen enters foster care they may feel a loss of voice or autonomy. A lot of decisions are made for them- where they live, maybe where they go to school, timelines for major events like reunification, adoption, or emancipation. To ensure youth always have a seat at the table and a voice, we have Youth Advocates who help them to advocate for themselves. To learn more about being a resource parent for older youth or teens in care, call (916) 344-0199 or visit or website at SSYAF.ORG.

In previous episodes we have discussed systemic disparities across systems of care. We know that young people of color, those from the lgbtq+ population, those with visible and invisible disabilities, and any other marginalized group may be overlooked, not receive the supports they really need, or have a harder time finding permanency with a supportive family. This month we are focusing on the steps our organization takes to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information contact us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG