Jill Johnston decided when she was 20 years old she wanted to be a foster parent after babysitting foster and adopted kids.
“It was just something that was always in my heart,” she said, adding that it stems from always wanting to care for children.
Living in Sac City with her husband, Johnston has been a licensed foster parent for six years. The couple has adopted all four of their children.
Johnston said her husband was slow to get on board, but similarly to her, he decided he was up for it after spending time with a friend’s foster kids.
“As soon as he said yes, I went online and filled out the inquiry,” Johnston said.
Within three months of becoming licensed in 2019, the couple had three foster children under the age of 3. Johnston said each time she got the call, it was overwhelming to get ready. After all, foster parents don't get to have baby showers, she said.
“It's just kind of craziness," Johnston said. "When you're pregnant, you have all this time to prepare. Well, I had like three hours to prepare.”
The free, online marketplace to find needed items
An online platform set to launch later this month by the nonprofit Foster SQUAD aims to help foster parents prepare in those few hours.
The nonprofit was co-founded in 2019 by Traci Schermerhorn, a former foster parent. It has a grassroots approach to support foster and kinship families throughout the state. Its flagship program, Foster Care Kits, serves youth entering the foster care system in over two dozen counties.
It’s newest program, called eQuip Hub, is designed specifically for foster and kinship families. Anyone can post items they have available for donation on the platform, and interested families can get in touch directly with them to pick the items up.
Schermerhorn said it’s intentional that the community member and foster parent arrange the donation themselves.
“If you just had a twin bed to donate, and you happen to donate it to us through eQuip Hub, and you go meet that family and you see they're just normal people who are doing some tough things for a kid, my hope is that you might build a relationship with that person,” Schermerhorn said.
Foster and kinship families can also request needs on the platform.
Connecting the community with foster families to fill the gaps
Foster parents decide what age range of children they want to take in. For example, the Johnston’s household preference is for children up to 8 years old.
When the Johnstons first started fostering, all they had were bunk beds and some toys because they didn’t know in advance when a call would come.
That first call for a foster placement was in August of 2019 for a 3-year-old boy. Jill Johnston relied on friends, family, her social worker and community resources to piece together all the items they needed in just a few hours.
Two months later, a call came for a 3-week-old baby and a 1-year-old at the same time.
“Those two babies came to my house about 10 p.m. on a weeknight, and we were putting together the crib at 10 p.m. because we got the call just a few hours earlier," Johnston said.
Johnston said, once again, her community stepped up to help find and pay for cribs, formula, diapers and car seats. She said it's difficult to decide on how much to get at first.
"Is this going to be temporary, where they're only going to be in my home for a few months, or is this going to be permanent or longer, until they grow out of them?" she recalled.
Foster parents receive monthly allowances for each child they care for, as well as clothing allowances. However, those reimbursements are paid after a month or longer.
Schermerhorn said eQuip Hub will fill in a gap for finding resources quickly.
“You worry about taking care of this child who just experienced a horrible trauma. We're going to help you get the stuff that you need so you can not have to worry about that piece of it,” Schermerhorn said.
The platform will launch in central Iowa first and later expand to the whole state.
