Kids Crossing welcomes and supports a diverse range of foster families.
We license many different types of foster parents and encourage individuals from all walks of life to apply-including single parents, unmarried and married couples, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of all religions, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds.

At Kids Crossing, we celebrate diversity and believe that every child deserves a safe, loving, and supportive home.

Steps to Becoming a Foster Parent with Kids Crossing

To begin the process, you must meet the following basic requirements:

• Be at least 21 years old

• Have reliable transportation

• Have extra space in your home for a child

Application & Background Checks:
You’ll need to complete an application and several background checks, including:

• Background Investigation Unit (BIU) Inquiry Form (for Colorado and any other state you’ve lived in within the past 5 years)

• Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) check

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) check

• County records check

Training & Certification:

• Complete CPR and First Aid certification

• Attend 12 hours of required CORE training

• Additional training may be required based on the needs of children you may foster

Additional Documentation:
We will also need the following:

• Up-to-date pet vaccination records (if applicable)

• Physical exams for every member of your household

• Three references for each applicant

• Copies of driver’s licenses and current automobile insurance

Final Steps:
Once all documents are received and background checks are successfully completed, we will move forward with:

• A SAFE Home Study

• A full home inspection

There is no one “type” of child in foster care. Kids Crossing serves children and youth of all ages, backgrounds, identities, strengths, and needs.

Children may come on their own or with siblings. Some may need extra support with school, relationships, emotional regulation, medical needs, or everyday routines. All have experienced difficult circumstances and need caregivers who are patient, supportive, and willing to get to know the child behind the behavior.

Some children need a home for a short time, while others may need longer-term care. Older youth may also remain in care as they transition into adulthood.

Most importantly, they are kids – with personalities, talents, interests, hopes, and potential – who need safe, caring adults in their corner.

We will share all of the information available to us. Sometimes a child is new to the system and there may still be a lot we don’t know. Other times, we may have more information about their history, strengths, needs, routines, and relationships.

As you get to know the child, you will learn things that may not be in a file—what helps them feel safe, what brings them joy, what is hard for them, and what they need when they are overwhelmed.

Using a TBRI® approach, we encourage caregivers to stay curious about behavior and ask, “What is this child trying to tell me they need?” rather than simply focusing on the behavior itself.

You are an important part of the team, and Kids Crossing will be there to help you understand and respond to each child’s individual needs.

Every child and family situation is different, so there is no set length of time. A child may stay for a few days, several months, or longer depending on their family’s circumstances and permanency plan.

Whenever safely possible, the goal is to help children stay connected to their families and return home. When reunification isn’t possible, the team works toward another safe, stable, and permanent connection.

No matter how long a child is with you, your role is to provide safety, connection, and support during an important time in their life.

Yes. During the certification process, we will work with you to identify the ages and needs of children that best fit your family’s strengths, experience, and capacity.

There is often a greater need for families who are open to teens, sibling groups, younger children with high medical needs, but children of all ages need safe, supportive homes.

Our goal is to make thoughtful matches that consider both the needs of the child and the strengths of your family.

Colorado regulations allow foster homes to care for up to six children in foster care, with no more than ten children total in the home, including biological and adopted children. Exceptions will be considered in some circumstances, such as keeping larger sibling groups together.

During the certification process, we will work with you to determine the number of children that best fits your family, available space, and strengths. You are always part of the conversation about what feels manageable and appropriate.

It depends on the child and their individual situation. Whenever possible, keeping a child in their current school is preferred.

You may be asked to transport a child to their current school or transportation may be arranged. In other situations, enrolling in a school closer to your home may be appropriate.

Kids Crossing will work with you and the child’s team to determine the best plan while supporting the child’s need for stability and connection.

Foster parents are paid one time a month on the 25th of the month for the previous month. Your foster care reimbursement is determined by the child’s needs. It starts at a base rate and then can be negotiated from there.

We have a 24-hour emergency cell phone and always have a qualified, experienced staff member to answer immediately. We want you to call us any time of day or night rather than have you make a decision by yourself. Our staff works as a team and makes an effort to get to know the children and families we serve. That way, when you call or stop by with a question, there are multiple people who know your family and can help. In addition, we provide ongoing training opportunities, including TBRI^® training, and we have various resources available to foster parents. We host foster parent support groups, and we recognize the achievements of our foster parents at appreciation dinners. We also organize social events for foster families, such as holiday parties and summer barbeques. We strive to have a great relationship with our foster parents and try to support every family in the way that feels good to them.

We believe children benefit when the important adults in their lives can work together. Supporting a child’s relationship with their family and partnering with parents can help create consistency, strengthen connections, and support a successful reunification. When it is safe and appropriate, foster parents are encouraged to build a positive, respectful relationship with a child’s parents and support the goal of reunification. 

You may have contact with parents during Family Time, phone or video calls, medical appointments, school activities, or other opportunities to support connection. Kids Crossing can also help facilitate introductions and conversations between foster parents and parents to begin building a relationship that feels comfortable for everyone.

Your Kids Crossing team and caseworker will help you understand what contact is appropriate and support you along the way.

Children come into your home with their own identity, culture, beliefs, traditions, and family connections. Foster parents play an important role in helping children stay connected to the things that are meaningful to them. This may include supporting a child’s religious practices, celebrating important holidays and traditions, preparing familiar foods, caring for their hair and skin appropriately, or helping them stay connected to their culture and community. Children may participate in your family’s religious activities, but they also have the right to maintain their own religious beliefs and practices or choose not to participate.

You don’t have to share the same background or beliefs, but you do need to be willing to learn, respect, and support what is important to the child and their family.

Kids Crossing welcomes foster families of all different backgrounds and family structures. Foster parents can be single or partnered, with or without children, and come from different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and life experiences.

There is no one “right” kind of foster family. What matters most is your ability to provide a safe, stable, caring, and supportive home for a child.

Many foster parents work full-time, and working does not prevent you from becoming a foster parent.

Childcare costs are not paid by the county, so foster parents should plan for childcare expenses as part of their household budget. All foster children are eligible for early Head Start programs.

If you do not foresee a move in the next 2-3 years, you may apply for foster care. If you have a spouse deployed, you are eligible for foster care licensing on your own as long as he/she is in support of the idea and in agreement to participate in the licensing process upon return. We also have foster parents who reside on base.

Supporting our families goes beyond the certification process. Kids Crossing offers a variety of resources and services to help foster and kinship families feel supported and connected, including:

• No cost foster and kinship certification
• TBRI® and other ongoing training opportunities
• Therapy and in-home support services
• Family Time services
• A clothing bank and resource room
• Family activities and social events throughout the year
• A referral incentive program for families who refer new foster families to Kids Crossing

Most importantly, you have a team of people who know your family and are here to support you along the way.

Yes, rules will allow for adult DD clients and foster children to be living in the same home. In addition, you can be a licensed home daycare provider and be a licensed foster parent. If you are interested in caring for DD adults as well as foster children you can do both through Kids Crossing.

We have four offices located in Pueblo, La Junta, Colorado Springs and Denver. Each office offers unique services and is staffed with competent, supportive staff.