Foster Care Resources
At Child Crisis Arizona, we understand the complexities and joys that come with fostering and adoption, and our goal is to ensure you have easy access to a wide array of tools and resources. Whether you’re seeking guidance on parenting strategies, educational resources, or emotional well-being, we’ve gathered a collection of resources that cater to your specific needs. Below you will find a wealth of helpful links and comprehensive information, to empower and guide you on your foster and adoption journey.
After School Activities
ASA Now provides free or low cost after-school programs and classes to children in foster care and their siblings. The best way to get current information is to sign up for their e-newsletter.
Arizona Friends of Foster Care Foundation provides funding to help pay for after-school programs and extracurricular activities. Visit their website for a full list.
Boys & Girls Club of America offers free, after-school services to children in foster care, ages 6-18 years old. Use your child’s CMDP card for membership enrollment. Call your local program for eligibility requirements.
Future For Kids provides weekly after-school activities at no cost at several Phoenix locations.
Ican provides free after school care for children at several Mesa and Chandler schools.
Opportunity4Kids pays for fees, equipment and uniforms for sports and after-school activities for any youth whose family falls within 150% of federal poverty guidelines. Proof of household income is required.
Birthday Celebrations and Holidays
Resource Distribution Center through Child Crisis Arizona can provide assistance for birthday and holiday gifts for kids within your care. Contact your licensing worker for a referral.
Helen’s Hope Chest in Mesa provides gifts for birthdays and holidays.
Arizona Helping Hands provides gifts for holidays. For birthdays, submit a request several weeks in advance to allow volunteers to create a customized birthday package for the child.
Arizonans for Children holds several special events throughout the year including a holiday party with gifts for each child in attendance.
Camps
Hope & A Future holds two camps during the summer designed for children in foster care. Royal Family Kids provides siblings a chance to go to camp together. Teen Reach Adventure Camp is for teens ages 12-15 to learn leadership skills.
Future for Kids partners with a school or organization to hold a one-week camp each summer.
Anytown Leadership Camp is a one-week camp for teens focused on diversity, leadership and empowerment.
Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation provides scholarships to help cover the cost of summer camps. Visit their website for restrictions.
Onward Hope provides a five-night camp for teens in the foster care system focused on life skills.
Clothes and Hygiene Essentials (including diapers)
Child Crisis Arizona’s Resource Distribution Center can provide assistance with emergency needs for clothes, hygiene items and diapers for kids within your care. Contact your licensing worker for a referral.
Helen’s Hope Chest in Mesa allows foster youth to shop for clothes, shoes and other essentials at no cost. Call ahead to make an appointment.
Arizona Helping Hands allows walk-in shopping for bed sheets, clothes, diapers and other emergency essentials for kids in foster care.
Jose’s Closet allows foster families to visit monthly to shop for clothing for all children in the home. They also provide holiday gifts and back to school supplies.
CPR and First Aid Training
Child Crisis Arizona offers CPR and First Aid training at no cost each month to foster families. Contact your Licensing Specialist for future dates.
Heart Savers has a large schedule of classes around the Valley. $55
CPR Rescuers call 602-339-3397 to ask about current class schedule and cost.
Everyday Heroes CPR Training is located in the West Valley. $70
American Emergency Response Training, Inc classes scheduled Valley-wide. Please choose an in-person option. $54.50
College
ASU’s Bridging Success program helps foster youth with the admissions process at ASU, financial aid and other ongoing support to help students graduate.
Grand Canyon University offers scholarships specifically for youth aging out of foster care that will cover tuition and all school-related costs (including room and board and meal plans)
The Arizona Tuition Waiver covers school fees and tuition that are not covered under other grants for youth who were in foster care in Arizona at age 14 or older and who are currently under the age of 23.
Hope & A Future’s John S. Brewer Memorial Fund can help pay for high school tutoring or college expenses.
Car Seat
Child Crisis Arizona holds free car seat safety courses and can help provide a car seat to attendees who do not currently have one. Our car seat safety experts can also help ensure your car seat is installed correctly.
The Children Are Priceless Passengers (CAPP) program through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is a free two-hour class open to the public or to anyone who has been cited for a child safety seat violation. The class costs $35 but participants in need may be able to recieve a free car seat.
The City of Phoenix will check for proper carseat installation by appointment only.
Crib/Pack n play
Child Crisis Arizona offers a free course on safe sleep for babies. A free pack n play is provided to attendees in need.
Arizona Helping Hands will help with beds and cribs for families taking in foster children.
Financial Literacy & Life Skills for Foster Teens
Opportunity Passport provides youth in foster care with financial literacy training and will match saved funds for those in the program.
Onward Hope provides life skills courses to youth in foster care including financial literacy.
ASA Now provides life skills courses to teens in foster care.
Arizona’s Children Association provides life skills training and mentoring for youth over the age of 14.
Food Boxes
Child Crisis Arizona holds a monthly food distribution event open to the public.
ASA Now offers food boxes to foster families. Sign up for emails for the most recent information.
Matthew’s Crossing provides free food boxes once per month meant to feed a family of four for up to three days.
The Salvation Army provides food boxes once per month for families in need.
Double Up Food Bucks allow you to double your SNAP benefits when you purchase fruits and vegetables from farmers markets. Take advantage of this program to make SNAP benefits go further.
Arizona Food Box Network can help families locate food boxes, onsite meals, and infant boxes.
Market on the Move allows anyone to donate $10 and receive 60 lbs of produce. Distribution sites vary. Check the website for the latest alerts and schedule.
The National School Lunch Program ensures any child in need gets a free breakfast and lunch at school where meals are provided. Foster children are included in this program. When filling out the form, the income is $0 because a child in foster care has no income.
Borderlands Food Bank P,O.W.W.O.W. Program allows anyone to pay $15 for up to 70 lbs of rescued produce. Most sites are drive thru only. Visit the website for a full schedule of events.
AZCEND’s Food Bank provides customized emergency food boxes and supplemental food boxes in Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek, San Tan, Coolidge, Mesa, Sun Lakes and Ahwatukee.
Nourish PHX can provide basic needs like clothing and food boxes. Open to walk-ins 9-11 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Housing for Teens Aging Out
Child Crisis Arizona’s Halle House provides Independent Living Housing for teens aging out of the foster care system.
Foster Arizona provides young adult housing for teens and young adults aging out of foster care.
Mesa United Way’s Foster 360 provides housing for youth aging out of foster care.
Fostering Advocates provides helpful information for youth aging out to understand their healthcare and housing, and college options.
Onward Hope provides help with living essentials like pots, pans, bedding and home décor.
Job Opportunities for Teens
Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation’s Keys to Success Program helps youth who are or were in foster care as a teen set career goals and find job opportunities.
IFoster is a national non-profit dedicated to helping foster youth identify and prepare for job opportunities.
Onward Hope helps teens locate paid internship opportunities.
Job Corps can help youth train for a new career and also help with housing, meals and an allowance.
Friendly House Career and College Readiness Program helps disadvantaged youth transition to college and a career.
St. Joseph the Worker’s Employment Services can help with job training and identifying open positions.
Licensing Essentials: First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguisher, Smoke Alarms, Rabies Vaccine, Gun Trigger Locks
Boost a Foster Family can help with all items needed to pass a home safety inspection.
Arizona Helping Hands can assist with first aid kits, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers
Project Child Safety provides gun safety education and will connect parents with their local police department to get free firearm safety kits.
Child Crisis Arizona offers on-site notarization of documents during the Foster Parent College Training.
LGBTQ+ Resources
The HRC provides statistics about LGBTQ youth in foster care and certifies agencies working in this community. Child Crisis Arizona is the only agency in Arizona to receive the HRC’s All Children—All Families seal. Download their report HERE.
From Foster Parent College: https://azfamilyresources.org/pdf/SupportingLGBTQYouth.pdf
Youth.gov provides a list of resources for parents and caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.
The Children’s Bureau and Child Welfare Information Gateway put together a guide to support foster parents caring for LGBTQ youth.
The Salvation Army has resources to help the LGBTQ+ community with job training and teenage suicide.
Mentors
Arizonans for Children offers mentors for children ages 5-18 in foster care in Maricopa County.
AASK provides mentors for foster children ages 9-21.
Arizona’s Children Association provides mentors to youth aging out of foster care.
Hope & A Future’s Life 360 program provides mentorship and life skills support for youth over the age of 12.
New Pathways for Youth provides mentors for children in grades 8-11 who are facing adversity.
Court Appointed Special Advocates are unique mentors and volunteers who work within the court system. While their mentorship to the youth is valuable, their communication to the judge is their focus.
Pool Fence
Child Crisis Arizona has partnered with SRP and United Phoenix Firefighters Charities to provide a pool fence at no cost to a family in the Phoenix area. Applications are opened each May.
Boost a Foster Family may be able to assist families who have taken emergency custody of a child and are in need of a pool fence. Visit their website to apply.
Support Groups
Child Crisis Arizona offers virtual support groups monthly for foster parents and for family members caring for a relative’s child.
School Supplies
Child Crisis Arizona offers free school supplies to families within our programs each year through our Resource Distribution Center. Contact your licensing specialist for a referral.
Helen’s Hope Chest provides free school supplies to children in foster care.
Arizona Helping Hands can assist with school supplied for children in foster care.
Training
Child Crisis Arizona offers free parenting classes year round in person, online and on demand. These classes can count toward continuing education hours.
Christian Family Care provides parenting classes in person and online.
Mesa Parent University provides a wide variety of free classes that qualify for certification hours.
Southwest Human Development’s Trauma Informed Care training is offered online at no cost.
Training for Grandparents: duetaz.org/index.php/calendar/
Raising Special Kids offers a variety of trainings for parents of children with special needs
ASA Now offers a variety of trainings for foster parents and often provides childcare during the training. Sign up for their newsletter for the best information.
Foster Club offers online training courses for foster parents for $24.95 a year.
Foster Parent College offers online trainings on a wide variety of topics. Scholarships are available to cover the cost of some trainings.
Foster Parent Training offers unlimited online training for $15.99 per year.
Foster Care Academy offers free online courses
Center For Adoption offers many on-demand courses for $10 each.
Tutoring
ASA Now provides free tutoring at their community center.
AFFCF can help cover the cost of tutoring for children in care.
Arizonans for Children offers tutors for children ages 5-18 in foster care in Maricopa County.
We proudly support diversity and inclusion for all people.
Our services are fully inclusive of all individuals regardless of race, color, religious beliefs, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.