“Every child deserves the best start to their life,” says Elizabeth Moss, Angel’s Foster Care Communications and Development Manager.
A nonprofit foster family agency celebrating nearly 20 years in business, Angel’s Foster Care supports families who foster infants and toddlers in Santa Barbara County. The organization, founded by local business owner and former nurse Meichelle Arntz, aims to provide the best care for each child.
“Foster care is really challenging, but Angel’s makes it less challenging,” says Anna Jordan, an Angel alum and board member. “And that was a huge gift to me and my kids.”
Angel’s is unique in that it works specifically with babies and toddlers under the age of three and sibling sets up to five years old. It requires one full-time parent in the home, as many of the children placed with their families may have experienced trauma at an early age.
Most importantly, Angel’s families are required to commit to caring for the child until they are reunified or adopted. This extra step articulates the nonprofit’s mission centered on attachment-based models that nurture the whole child.
As Arntz saw firsthand as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA), many children placed in foster homes are shuffled around constantly and often separated from siblings. “Having a primary caregiver can create a healthy attachment,” Moss explains. “That is essential for healthy development.”
Because of their focus on toddlers and infants, social workers have smaller caseloads, allowing them to offer intensive, intimate support. “They really walk alongside [our Angel’s families],” says Moss. That includes everything from attending court hearings to coordinating necessary medical and therapeutic appointments, as well as facilitating supervised visitations with first families, including providing transportation. “We wrap our arms around our families,” says Moss. “When they’re supported, they have a higher chance of success.”
Santa Barbara County has about 400-450 children in foster care. About 35% of those children are under the age of six. Many of the services offered by Angel’s are customized to a greater extent than what the county can typically support. This extra level of care means the nonprofit is always in need of people to invest in their mission.
An investment in Angel’s means an investment in the youngest members of our community, and as Moss asks, “What better way to invest in your community?” Because relationships don’t end at reunification or adoption—that’s just the beginning.
Get involved at angelsfostercare.org
“Having a primary caregiver can create a healthy attachment.”