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Staff Spotlight: Human Resources

Staff Spotlight: Human Resources

Meet Heartland for Children's lovely ladies of HR--Leslie Ziegler, Director of Human Resources, and Jacquelyn Bobb, Human Resources Generalist.Read More
Summer Reading Fun!

Summer Reading Fun!

Many children in school know how many days are left in this school year, and if they don’t know, they can always ask their teacher.   Soon, they will have a lot of time on their hands, so parents are given the monumental task of helping them find ways to pass the time.   If you’re like me, you know it won’t be long before you hear those two words that every parent dreads – “I’m bored!”  What if I told you there was something you could put in their hands to help with that?   I’m not talking about the latest smart phone, tablet, or video game controller; this is even better than that.   I am suggesting that you put a book in their hands, and if you plan it right, they can actually have fun reading it!  Read More
Summer's Here!

Summer's Here!

As summer quickly approaches, children will be needing summer activities and parents will be seeking energy outlets and learning experiences each day to prevent boredom and unnecessary chaos.  Children thrive on structured activities and new experiences.  My five-year-old grandson vividly remembers the treasure hunt we had last year.  Ironically, he was grounded from his bicycle, so I planned an activity that excluded his bike but offered him an outlet for his energy.  His energy, most of the time, is twice that of mine.  We went for a walk instead.  While walking, I asked him to locate specific items such as flags, flowers, colored leaves, and different types of insects.

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Foster Parent Q & A: Cyndy Strickland

Foster Parent Q & A: Cyndy Strickland

Our journey first began long before September 2011; it began about 16 years ago with kinship care. We were contacted by the department and asked if we would consider taking in our nephews who were going to be removed from their home. My husband and I said yes. About two years later, there was a TPR hearing and the boys came up for adoption. Again, my husband and I said yes and adopted. After having previously being involved with the system through kinship care and adoption...and having two empty bedrooms (can’t have that!), we decided to take the leap and attend foster parent classes. We will soon celebrate our three-year anniversary as foster parents. 

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My wife, Joy-Lynn and I became Foster Parent Mentors (FPM) through Heartland for Children in 2012. When we were approached with the opportunity to be an added support for incoming Foster Parents, we jumped at the opportunity because we saw the value in having someone who other Foster Parents could relate to as being an invaluable resource; especially, if the individual(s) were completely new to the fostering and/or parenting experience. As FPMs through Heartland, we've had the chance to interact with incoming Foster Parents on many levels including assisting with respite, providing guidance or best practices with difficult behavioral issues, advocating for a child who had to be moved from one home to another, making recommendations on working with case management, providing another vantage point through the process of Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), and many other areas that Foster Parents can encounter during their first and continuing years of child advocates. What we've gained as FPMs is a heightened level of understanding of how important it is to identify the needs of incoming Foster Parents. Being able to make recommendations on how the training component has and can continue to successfully equip incoming parents with the proper training and education; is a value add that Heartland has really welcomed input on.