Starting MAPP class in KS tomorrow!

By now you've probably figured out that no one really has control over how long a FC is placed, though we probably wish we did/could! And I can only speak from very novice experience, but our first placement came last fall and we fell in love in 5 minutes. I think anyone on here will confirm that, unfortunately, no one ever knows how long a child will be in your care up until they are RU'd or otherwise.We finished MAPP in KC last summer. MAPP is decent as a foundation, but if you have any other questions, I'm happy to take a stab at any you may have. Good luck and remember to just breathe and take it all in! =====================FS: Bubbie (placed at 15 mos)FS: JaJa (placed at 3.5 mos)

Thank you for responding to my questions! i was wondering did you go into it just to foster or adopt?

We wanted to grow our family through foster care, so ultimately, yes, we would eventually like to foster to adopt. In the same breath, we both felt strongly that during the process we desired to open our home to children who needed a safe and loving space while in care. Our household was initially divided on age range, but we've compromised for now in hopes to continue to foster while equally working towards possible permanent placement. :)

We adopted through foster care in KS. We did not foster them long-term first. When we began working with the adoption coordinator for our local agency, we told her that we were only interested in being matched with kids whose parental rights had already been terminated.Depending on the age of child/children you hope to adopt, you might wait longer this way. Babies and young toddlers are pretty rare for straight adoption through the system. Older kids and sibling groups mean less of a wait. We were matched with three kids, ages 4, 5, and 8. From matching to finalizing adoption took about a year. Our social workers said that's very speedy.

We have has great success with our Kansas agency. What agency are you going to license with? I think that can play a big role, also your relationship with your family worker helps a lot.

We have not chosen an agency yet. We live in Olathe, any suggestions???

I would go with KVC simply because they are the contracting agency in the state for your area for the next four years. We are with TFI because of our specific situation (our relatives were in their custody and we wanted to foster them) but you can shop around. And just because you take someone's MAPP class does not mean you have to use them as your agency. St Francis is another agency but they are usually contracted for the western part of the state so it would be more difficult for you because of location.