You see the children and families involved in your local foster care system, and you want to support them. You want to step in, show up for them, and help them thrive—especially as the hectic back-to-school season kicks into full gear.
But you don’t know where to start.
What would actually be helpful to these families?
How can I offer support without overstepping any boundaries?
What does providing support really look like—not in theory, but in action?
In this guide, we’ll be offering 8 practical ideas you can use to provide the kind of support that will make a real, meaningful difference for the foster and adoptive families in your community. Read on to find an option that best fits your unique capabilities and capacity:
1) Show up to support the children
We can all probably remember a moment when the support of caring adults meant the world.
Maybe it was a family friend showing up to support you at your high school play. Or a favorite teacher rooting for you from the bleachers at a big game. Those moments of being seen and celebrated stay with us.
How can you provide that experience for a child or teen involved in your local child welfare system?
One of the best ways to show up for the foster and adoptive families in your life is to, well, show up!
Look for opportunities to celebrate a child’s accomplishments. For you, it may be as simple as penciling a dance recital into your Tuesday night plans—but for that child and their caregivers, your presence can create a powerful sense of support and belonging.
Quick Tip: Don’t hold any expectations around receiving a “thank you.” Let it be about showing up, not being noticed.
2) Provide childcare assistance
Did you know that, by Texas law, foster parents can only use babysitters who are specially trained and certified to care for children involved in foster care?
This creates a significant challenge—finding certified babysitters on short notice isn’t easy, and unfortunately, there aren’t enough of them to meet the demand.
Foster and adoptive parents need qualified supervision for their children so they can attend:
- Doctor appointments (for them and their children)
- Court hearings related to the child’s case
- Legal/caseworker meetings
They also need time to decompress so they can avoid burning out—whether that’s a date night where they can prioritize their marriage or a self-care day.
To address this need, we started our Babysitting Certification Training collaborative—a streamlined, accessible program that simplifies the process of becoming a certified foster care babysitter.
Quick Tip: Consistency builds trust. Even if you can only babysit once a month, your presence makes a difference.
LEARN MORE: Why Foster Families Struggle to Find Babysitters—and How We Can Help
GET CERTIFIED: Babysitting Certification Training
3) Help with transportation
Every parent knows that shuttling kids from place to place and making sure everyone is where they need to be—on time and in one piece—is no easy task.
For families involved in the child welfare system, this challenge is often multiplied. On top of transporting children of different ages to different schools and navigating overlapping extracurriculars, they may be squeezing in additional obligations (such as court dates, counseling appointments, or legal meetings) that many of us never have to consider.
If you have a relationship with a local foster or adoptive family and they have a child who goes to the same school (or is involved in the same extracurricular program) as your child, reach out and offer to help out with pick-up, drop-off, or both.
Whether it’s just for a few days or on a recurring basis, this gesture can go a long way to lighten the family’s logistical load.
As we mentioned in the previous section, foster and adoptive parents are required to use an approved babysitter or alternative care provider for the supervision of their children. Most adults providing transportation assistance will need to fall into one of these categories. If you’re interested in providing this type of support, please look into our Babysitting Certification Training.
Quick Tip: Always prioritize the child’s sense of safety and routine—introduce yourself ahead of time if needed.
4) Bring over meals
Families involved with foster care are navigating a lot—appointments, transitions, and big emotions. In the middle of all that, the simple act of having a ready-to-go meal can make a crazy day feel more at ease.
This could be as simple as sending a text like:
“Hey, we’d love to bring you dinner tonight. What sounds good?”
If you want to take this further, gather a small group of people—friends, coworkers, church members—and coordinate a meal train of one freezer-friendly meal per week for a month. These can be delivered all at once for the family to store and use as needed, or dropped off weekly based on what works best.
Another meal you can lend a hand with is school lunches. Most children involved in foster care receive free school lunches. However, elementary school students are asked to bring a healthy snack each day, and those are not always covered by the free meal. Supplying a family with simple healthy snacks that they can easily send with their child to school is a great way to take one small but crucial task off their to-do list.
Quick Tip: Always be sure to always ask first—surprise drop-offs can feel overwhelming. Then, set up a simple drop-off plan that honors the family’s privacy—like using a cooler by the front door. Finally, be mindful of allergies, dietary needs, and cultural preferences.
P.S. Helping out with grocery shopping can also be a big help to foster and adoptive families. Text them when you’re doing a grocery run to see if you can pick up anything for them.
Rather than asking “Do you need me to get anything for you?” ask, “What can I grab for you while I’m getting groceries today?”
If the family prefers to do online grocery ordering, you can offer to pick up and drop off their order. Loading all the children up in the car to go anywhere is quite a task in itself—so if you are able to scoop their items while you’re already out running errands, it can be a big help.
5) Spread some holiday cheer
Back-to-school season means holiday season! October, November, and December are packed with back-to-back holidays—and while that can mean a lot of joy and excitement, it can also mean a lot of pressure on the shoulders of parents.
Between decorating the house, grabbing presents, and making sure the family makes special holiday memories, there’s no shortage of tasks on their to-do list this time of year.
Reach out ahead of time to offer help with decorating or to drop off simple holiday-themed items. Keep it playful and easy—a small wreath, a few string lights, or some DIY craft kits for the children.
Offering seasonal cheer—like holiday decorations—can bring joy and normalcy to children, creating opportunities for bonding and celebration. It’s a reminder that beauty and tradition still belong in hard seasons.
Quick Tip: Ask what holiday the family celebrates and if they’d enjoy this type of support. If they say yes, keep in mind that holidays can be triggering for kids, so be sure to ask what kind of support would be most helpful.
6) Invite them over
Foster, kinship, and adoptive families can often feel isolated—either from their peers or from everyday community rhythms. A simple invitation to share a meal, join a holiday, or just hang out communicates belonging and inclusion. Sometimes the most powerful support is just being welcomed in.
Reach out with a low-pressure invitation for a family dinner, backyard hangout, game night, or weekend meal. Let them know it’s casual, flexible, and judgment-free.
Make it clear that they don’t need to bring anything—and offer to bring the gathering to their home instead of yours if that’s more convenient for their family.
Quick Tip: Keep the vibe laid back—let relationship lead, not a perfect plan.
LISTEN: A Heart of Hospitality (feat. Fr. Drew Knowles, Oak Forest Anglican Church)
7) Offer tutoring or homework help
If you’re confident in a particular academic subject, offering homework help from time to time can give children extra support to succeed in the classroom.
Are you a wizard with words? Give a student some pointers as they craft their next essay for English class. Did you enjoy learning about math when you were in school? You’re perfectly equipped to assist the child who’s struggling to pass Algebra.
Whatever your unique strengths may be, if you have the skills to tutor a student, this could be of great service to a foster or adoptive family in your city.
Quick Tip: Check in with the parents to learn what teaching strategies work best for the child. If you’re able to commit to this assistance on a long-term basis, keep in mind that shorter, more consistent study sessions can feel less overwhelming to a child than longer, more sporadic cram sessions.
8) Cover registration for an extracurricular program
Extracurriculars give children a safe, enriching outlet—but the cost can be a barrier. Covering a registration fee gives children involved in foster care the chance to build confidence, form friendships, and just have fun. It also gives caregivers one more tool to support their child’s healing journey.
Reach out discreetly to offer financial support for a child’s participation in a program they’re interested in—like soccer, dance, art, or coding. Work with the caregiver to coordinate payment directly with the organization.
If you want to really go above and beyond, another option to consider is covering the cost of any uniforms or equipment the child would need to participate in their activity of choice. This turnkey support will ensure the child can jump right in and enjoy themselves without their parents needing to worry about covering any additional costs.
Quick Tip: Be discreet with financial support—focus on dignity and empowerment. As much as you’re able to, make the caregiver the hero.
Showing up in small, intentional ways for families matters—over and over again. Thank you for taking the time to learn eight ways you can support foster and adoptive families during the back-to-school season.
These acts of service send children and families an important message:
“You’re not alone. We see you. We’re in it with you.”
Looking for more practical ways to support your neighbors all year round? Download our free guide “31 Creative Ways to Serve Foster and Adoptive Families.”
Whether you’re a neighbor, friend, church, or business, these ideas help create rhythms of care that don’t overwhelm or overstep—but gently remind families that healing happens AS ONE.
P.S. Are you a foster parent, agency worker, or advocate who has noticed a gap in support? If so, reach out to us via email (hello@riversideproject.org)—we’d love to learn more about how our team and community can step in to meet the real needs of foster families.
Don’t have time to try these ideas right now, but you still want to support our neighbors in need? Donate to help us transform the foster care system in Houston!