The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) got involved in my life in 2000 after I disciplined my son by spanking him with a belt. They said I was abusing him and took him away. I was also arrested.
Before the case, I was working in child care. Watching people’s children was fun for me. I enjoyed the little ones and how creative they are at those young ages. I was also in school studying criminal … Read More
When I was 23 and my doctor told me I was pregnant, I put my head down and burst out crying.
A piece of me felt grateful that God chose me to bring life into the world. But I also felt angry, ashamed, selfish and scared. The father and I had only been dating a short while. Plus, I had a job but he didn’t, and neither of us was financially secure.
Still, when my boyfriend told me that … Read More
This spring, NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services will open Family Enrichment Centers (FECs) in three neighborhoods with high child welfare involvement—Highbridge and Hunt’s Point in the Bronx and East New York, Brooklyn—run by Good Shepherd Services, Graham Windham, and the Bridgebuilders Community Partnership. Each site will have a director, two parent advocates, and a community liaison.
Jacqueline Martin, Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Preventive Services, and Kailey Burger, Assistant Commissioner for Community Based Strategies in the … Read More
My son was two when I aged out of foster care. Soon I was going to college full time, working 40 hours a week and paying my own child care. Things were easier when I had the group home to help. Once I left care, I had nothing. If I failed, I’d be screwed—and to the shelter we’d go.
I wanted to prove that, just because I grew up in care, there wasn’t anything wrong with … Read More
On August 25, 2015, I experienced a parent’s worst nightmare. I arrived at my daughter’s bus stop to pick her up only to find out she was not on it. It’s a horrible feeling not knowing where your child is. Then one of my daughter’s friends said that she had left school with two adults.
I called the school and learned that the Department for Families and Children of Lexington, Kentucky had taken her. I called … Read More
