Become a foster parent

The NAC Difference: You Will Be Supported

NAC has been partnering with foster parents for over 30 years to provide loving homes and bright futures for children with special needs and supporting their efforts with unparalleled resources and expertise. When you become a foster parent at NAC, you become part of our family of support.

NAC Family

receives 360 degrees of support from NAC. Click on a Support Category to Learn More

NAC Family

receives 360 degrees of support from NAC. Click on a Support Category to Learn More

Social Workers

Doctors

Nurses

Therapists

Education Specialists

Recreation Specialists

Homefinders

Post Adoption Support

Behavior Specialists

Tutors & Mentors

Care Managers

We believe that the extraordinary parents who take on the challenge of fostering a child with special needs deserve the best possible support and care. When foster care is done right, children thrive. It starts with ensuring that the entire family – foster parents, children, backups – are supported every step of the way by NAC’s team of in-house professionals. Services are individualized to meet the unique needs of every child and foster family. NAC is one of the only foster care agencies to have an onsite medical and mental health clinic. Our comprehensive care and 360 degrees of support are what make fostering at NAC special.

NAC is on call 24 hours a day to support our foster families. Services include medical training, educational supports, therapeutic services, and case management services. Every family is assigned a Master’s level Social Worker, Nurse, and Behavior Specialist if needed. Foster care is a temporary situation, and NAC works with foster families and birth families to facilitate permanent placement.

On-site services available at NAC include:

24-hour Emergency Support
On-going training
On-site medical and mental health clinics
Specialized Foster Parent Trainings
Recreational outings
Educational advocacy
Post-adoption services & supports
Financial Support
Medical Insurance for foster children
Safe Haven Services to support LGTBQI+ youth and their families

For a small foster care agency, we are proud of our direct foster care team which consist of:

16 Case Planners
11 Behavior Specialists/Case Associates
2 Parent Advocates
5 Homefinders
Child Placement Specialist
Kinfinding Specialist
2 Foster Parent Recruitment Specialists

All of NAC’s social workers have Master’s of Social Work degrees.

Our Children

Children in foster care range from birth to 21 years old and come from all ethnic groups. The children who are in foster care at NAC have needs that range from mild, moderate, to severe. The medical/developmental needs of our children span from intellectual disabilities to diabetes, special feeding and diet needs, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, sickle cell disease, and hearing or speech impairments to name a few. The behavioral/mental health needs of our children include ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and PTSD.

All of the children who come to NAC share other qualities as well: they need love and nurturing; they are resilient; and they have dreams and hopes like all children. Since our founding, we’ve believed in the motto NAC KIDS CAN. They can reach their potential and achieve their dreams with the support of a loving and nurturing family.

Who Can Become a Foster Parent

NAC is looking for mature, committed adults who can open their hearts and their homes to a child with special medical needs. Beyond being able to care for a child with special needs, foster parents must be capable of providing an emotionally stable home. NAC works with foster parents in all five boroughs of New York City and Westchester. ACS policy does not discriminate based on relationship status, sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Be over 21 years of age
Rent or own your dwelling
Have adequate living space for a child
Have a documented regular source of income
Pass a Medical clearance
Pass State Central Registry clearances
Pass a Criminal History clearance
Pass a Staff Exclusion List clearance

NAC is committed to supporting LGBTQI+ prospective foster parents in their pursuits to care for our children.

FAQs

Can foster children be adopted?

Yes. If a child is unable to return to his or her birth family and the birth parent’s rights are terminated, the child becomes legally freed for adoption. When a child is adopted, he or she becomes a lifelong family member. Adoptive parents have full legal rights and responsibilities to the child they adopt.

What is NAC’s specialized foster parent licensing process?

Attend a Foster Parent Orientation
Complete a Foster Parent Application
Submit Identification, Budget, Marital Status, Motor Vehicle, and School documentation
Complete Pre-Certification Training
Complete Interviews with Homefinder
Complete a Homestudy

What types of needs do children at NAC have?

NAC children have needs that range from mild, moderate, to severe. Some examples of the medical/developmental needs that NAC children have are: Hearing or Speech Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Special Feeding/Diet, Diabetes, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and Sickle Cell Disease.

Some NAC children use wheelchairs for mobility and some NAC children have had a tracheotomy to assist with their breathing. At NAC, foster parents are specifically trained to support children with these types of needs.

Some examples of the mental health needs of NAC children are: ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and PTSD.

Can I become a foster parent if I am single?

Yes, many different family configurations are effective at fostering and many of our active foster parents parented for the first time with our children. We have foster parents who have been divorced, who are single, who are married, and who identify as LGBTQI+.

I have children, can I effectively foster a child while caring for my biological children?

Yes, many NAC Foster Parents have biological children. NAC children are integrated into the foster family and having sibling relationships with the foster parent’s biological children.