A standing network. A child-specific decision.
Classroom to Kinship is a proactive, school-based model that builds a network of willing adults before a child enters foster care — then makes every placement decision child by child.
From interest to activation.
Build the list
Participating schools educate staff about fictive kinship and invite interested staff to join a confidential, school-based network. Joining means the staff member is open to being contacted if a child they already know enters foster care. It is voluntary, child-specific, and does not guarantee approval or placement.
Prepare in advance
Network members who want to prepare further may complete as much general training, documentation, home preparation, screening, and support planning as their jurisdiction legally allows before a specific child needs them. Ready means prepared, not pre-approved.
Make the connection
When a child enters foster care, the school liaison determines whether the child already has a meaningful relationship with someone in the Network. That adult is contacted and makes a fresh, child-specific decision. Child welfare then completes all required family finding, safety checks, background checks, home assessment, approval, placement, and court processes.
The Network is standing. Every placement decision remains child-specific.
A clear pathway. A clear boundary.
It is
- A proactive school-based kinship network
- A child-specific placement pathway
- An extension of family finding
- A bridge between schools and child welfare
- A model that preserves all existing safety standards
It is not
- General teacher recruitment
- A foster-home list for unknown children
- Automatic approval
- A replacement for relatives or family finding
- A request for schools to investigate families
- A lower safety standard for school employees