By: Quatrece McKinney, Vice President of Programs
When people hear the words foster parents, they may immediately picture a certain type of family—perhaps married, with children already in the home, a large house, and years of parenting experience.
The reality is, foster families are so much more.
In Tennessee, foster parents can be married or single, may have children or not, can rent or own their home, and can work full time. What matters most is the ability to provide a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for a child who needs one.
And across Tennessee, which has nearly 9,000 children in foster care, more families willing to provide that environment are critically needed.
Foster care is intended to provide children with a safe, temporary home when they cannot safely remain with their families. Whenever possible, the goal is to reunify children with their parents or connect them permanently with relatives. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), which oversees the State’s foster care system and works with private foster care providers like Monroe Harding, describes its work around three priorities: safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families.
In 2026, Tennessee joined the national A Home for Every Child initiative, which includes increasing the number of available licensed foster homes and reducing the need for children to enter foster care through prevention when it's safe to do so. Tennessee needs just over 3,000 more foster families to comply with requirements for this federal initiative.
Having enough foster families matters because children benefit from stability. Tennessee data has shown that more than one-third of children entering foster care for the first time in 2022 experienced three or more placements by June 2023. Each additional move can mean another new home, school, or neighborhood that they have to get used to.
More licensed foster families in the pipeline means more opportunities to find the right home, not simply an available one, and to keep children closer to their schools, siblings, and communities.
That is especially important for teenagers, sibling groups, and children with special needs. These groups have been challenging to place in Tennessee.
For some in our communities, perceptions of foster care are shaped by stories they heard years ago or what they see on TV. But foster care has changed over time.
Walk into a foster family’s home today, and you would likely see the everyday experiences that make family a family, like having dinner around the table and helping with homework. You’ll see a carload of kids headed to practice or siblings cheering from the stands at a game. You may also see something less visible but just as important, a young person beginning to trust that there is an adult in their life they can count on.
For a child who has experienced adversity and trauma, those ordinary experiences matter. Taking a trauma-informed care approach to foster care recognizes that consistent, positive experiences can play an important role in a young person’s healing and overall well-being.
With over 3,000 more foster families needed across Tennessee, it’s important to address some of the questions families have about fostering, and how Monroe Harding addresses those concerns.
Becoming a foster parent is an opportunity to provide stability during one of the most challenging times in a young person’s life. More foster parents are needed, and Monroe Harding is answering that need by recruiting, training, and supporting foster families across Middle Tennessee who can provide safe, nurturing homes for children and youth in state custody. The greatest need is for families willing to foster teens and sibling groups.
Could your family help meet that need? You won’t do it alone. From training and home study to placement and ongoing support, Monroe Harding guides foster parents through each step of the journey.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, contact us today.
