Changing from straight adopt to foster.... how hard is it?

Cris, I'm sorry to see that your still on your search. After your whole licensing debacle, I was sure you would find something rather quickly. In Florida, there is no such thing as the foster to adopt program, either one or the other, though you can have both. I am a licensed foster parent, that has my adoption homestudy done, for the just in case, and I have my name on a list in the interim. I do foster and have fostered for a little over a year now, I still do not have a child going to TPR but have had one of my kids for over a year. Though it does look like he will eventually go home (and then come back, again), i would have not changed anything. I have been able to give a safe and loving home for a total of 9 kids. My problem is not with them going home but the quick turn around which I seem to be getting recently. Most of them I knew where going to leave quickly, here's my stats, 1 went to therapeutic, 3 went to family and 3 went back home (within 2 weeks or so) and I have 2, (2yr old for 1 year and a 1 month old for about a week and a half, looks like he'll be sticking around for awhile). You will need to contact your local agency that does fostering. In my district they are two seperate agencies, though they can get most of the information from each other, they will still require their own homestudy. The MAPP classes were good for both. It will take 2-3 months to get licensed but well worth it. If your looking to get a younger child, in reality the chances are you have better luck fostering first. The CW is not lieing to you just so you can be a foster parent, its the truth. Most foster parents are the ones to adopt the kids, if its not family. There is a foster parent in my area that got a infant straight from the hospital, his adoption was final when he was 10 months, meanwhile he lived with her his whole life. I am hoping and praying that this baby that I have sticks around but unfortunately its a gamble. You love and treat these kids as if they are your own, and sometimes you have to let them go. Does it hurt, absolutely, but I wouldn't have changed it.