Kristi Jacquez: Hello, my name is Kristi Jacquez, Recruitment Specialist with the Children, Youth, and Families Department Foster Parent Recruitment Program.

Now, before I talk to you about becoming a foster parent, I'd like to share why this matters. Right now in New Mexico, hundreds of children are in foster care because they cannot safely remain at home. While many are placed with relatives or foster families, we continue to have more children needing safe homes than we have available foster families, especially for our teens, sibling groups, and children with higher needs. That means some of our children must be placed outside of their community, further from their schools, friends, and everything familiar to them.

Here in San Juan County, there are approximately 89 children in foster care. As of today, we only have 43 licensed foster families that are available to care for them. That gap means many of the children leave the community they know, simply because there are not enough families to care for them close to home.

My goal is to recruit more local families so children can remain connected to their schools, friends, siblings, support system whenever possible. So with this information today, I want to share with you about how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference in life of a child who has experienced abuse, neglect, or other family challenges.

Every child deserves a safe, loving, and stable place to call home. And right now, we have children in our community who need the support. Many children enter into foster care through no fault of their own. They are often scared, confused, and grieving the loss of everything familiar to them. While we are always looking for the foster families for children of all ages, there is particular need for families willing to care for teens, sibling groups we are trying to keep together, children with special needs, and children who can remain connected to their cultural community and schools. The greatest need is not for the perfect parents, it's for the caring adults like yourself who might be willing to open their hearts and homes. Foster parents come from all walks of life. They may be single, married, renters, homeowners, working professionals, retirees, or empty nesters. What they all have in common is a desire to help children.

One of the most common things I hear is, "I can never do this because I would get too attached." The truth is that children need adults who are willing to care enough to become attached. Even when a child returns home, the love, stability, positive experience you provide can have a lifelong impact. You may not be the answer to every child, but you could be the answer for one child who needs a safe place to stay.

I'd be happy to answer any questions and provide any information about the next steps in becoming a foster parent. You can reach me at 505-618-0707 or kristi.jacquez@cyfd.nm.gov. That is K-R-I-S-T-I.J-A-C-Q-U-E-Z@C-Y-F-D.N-M.gov. Thank you so much for your time, and have a wonderful day.