After raising three kids of their own, Brenda and Bob Broschart decided it was time to give back and help children facing a difficult time of transition.
Though Brenda and Bob, in their late 40s and 50s, "could be off doing their own thing" they decided to become foster parents.
That was nearly two years ago and the Broschart family, of Northumberland, Pa., has had 15 different children stay at their home for various amounts of time.
"We felt that raising our kids was the best thing we did in our lives and we really enjoyed being parents," Brenda Broschart said Wednesday.
The Broscharts felt there was a great need to care for children in a difficult situation. They chose the county, rather than a private agency, because they wanted to help local children.
"This is where we live and where we should be helping," Brenda said.
Webster's Dictionary defines the word "foster" as "promoting the growth of" or "helping to develop or to nurture."
The Broscharts, and many other foster families in the United States are doing just that by providing a safe environment for children who need a place to go with their own parents can't take on the job.
"We wanted to help those parents who are having a struggle with taking care of their kids and we could be that in between, someone to step in and help out on a temporary basis," Brenda Broschart said.
500,000 children
More than 500,000 children in the United States are in the foster care system. May is National Foster Care month. Foster care affects hundreds of thousands of children and families and society as a whole. Child welfare issues arise in families of every race, ethnicity, culture, and age group, according to www.fostercaremonth.org.
Children and youth are placed in foster care when their parents or guardians are no longer able to ensure their essential wellbeing. These young people need stable, loving care until they can either safely reunite with their families or establish other lifelong relationships with a nurturing adult, the Web site reads. 'Mother Hen' Having a foster family is teaching Brenda and Bob's own children what it is like to be a parent, Brenda said. "Being a parent is a full time job," she said. "It teaches them that your children's needs come before your own... you have to sacrifice a lot. We did it with our kids and are doing it again," she said. With one child still at home, Brenda's daughter, Rachel, is "becoming quite the mother hen." Having young children in the home has taught Rachel the challenges and joys of parenting. Just as Rachel decided to share her experience on the phone with a reporter, the little cries of children waking from their naps could be heard in the background. "Hello," she said to one of the one-year-old foster children. "How are you?" she asked. "Yep, they are up," she said. The Broschart's are cleared to take in three children, but currently are housing two, from two different families.
Rachel said she is proud of what her parents have decided to undertake. "They are really helping the community," she said. "We are giving kids a safe environment and it is really cool because they may not come from the best of homes and it is like a sanctuary for them here," she said. Next to providing a safe environment for the children, the most important thing would be to provide consistency, Brenda said. "Kids need security and we wanted to create a secure sound and loving space for them." The most special moments for the Broscharts is the occasion when one of the children "does something cute and funny," Rachel said. "It's those special times when they crack you up," she added. "Seeing them grow and learn is cool and when you see they are really learning in a good way you know you've actually done some thing to improve the life of a kid." Rachel said she remembers each child. At one point the family had an eight-day-old baby, who slept in Rachel's room. That was a crash course in motherhood, she said. Making a Difference Children and Youth is required to find permanency for the child. The goal is always to return the child to their home. However, if a child is "in the system" for between 15 and 22 months, Children and Youth must choose another goal to achieve permanency, unless the birth parents are showing significant efforts, said Timena Renn, a supervisor at Northumberland County Children and Youth.
There are currently 37 foster families and 24 kinship homes in Northumberland County, associated with the county. There are several other private foster family agencies in the county as well, Renn said. "Most people do it because they want to help kids," Renn said. "They have seen kids in situations and feel they can make a difference." That goal is the most difficult part, Brenda said -- having to give the children back. "It is so hard because you get so attached," she said. You can't expect them to stay and must be prepared. Many of the Broschart family friends wonder how the family can say goodbye so often -- most times never knowing what becomes of the child. "Well, you do what you have to do," Brenda said. "But there are a lot of tears." Rachel agreed with her mother. "They really do become like family, even in a short time," she said. The Broschart family takes in mostly young children and they usually stay for about a month, Brenda said, but sometimes longer. "It doesn't take long to get attached," she said. A foster parent has the difficult task of not only knowing they have to give the child back, they may never know the outcome. They have to trust that the judge in the court system will know when it is safe to allow the child to return home. Kinship Care Another aspect of foster care is kinship care, Renn said. Kinship care could be undertaken by a family member, or even a coach or teacher of the child.
Recently a teacher "stepped up to the plate" and took in a two siblings, Renn said. The family still must go through the foster care licensing procedures, which are "fairly cumbersome." Surprisingly, Renn said, there are many older parents that choose to become foster or kinship families, but each situation is different. "There is no right or wrong or who can and can't as long as their heart is in it," she said. The foster and kinship parents are trained to deal with difficult situations, Renn said. And they have a support system with the county agency and the National Foster Parent Association. Being a Kid Cheri and Harry Wright of Catawissa, Pa., also welcomed a young children into their home after raising two of their own. The difference is that the 6-year-old girl is actually their great niece. "This wasn't anything we planned to do, but the opportunity came when the child was placed in foster care," Cheri said. "We called Children and Youth right away to keep her with family." Sometimes a child just needs a break from a difficult situation to come to a place of peace and time to "just be a kid," Cheri said. "It is a good feeling to know we could help someone and touch the life of a child."
Though having a young child in the home was difficult, it has been an "absolute joy," Cheri said. "I mean, we have grandchildren her age," she said. Despite the fact that the Wright's already raised their own children, they knew it was the right thing to do to take in their great niece. "It was a God thing and it was meant to happen this way," Cheri said. "We have been blessed as much as she has been," she added. Providing kinship care has allowed the birth family an easier time at accommodating visitation and phone calls. Also, the situation has brought the family closer together and Cheri said they will maintain a better relationship then in the past. Breaking the Chain The most rewarding thing to see being a foster parent would be to "eventually see these kids grow up and be good parents," Brenda said, all the while knowing she would probably never know. She said, it is for this reason, that she and her family strive to teach the children the importance of stability within a home is. "I pray they will remember this and that, the time we sang songs, laughed and danced to music," she said. Often children placed in the foster care system grow up and end up back in the system, Brenda said. "We are trying to break the chain of bad parenting."
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