After his mom died when he was 14 years old, Isaiah and his brother entered the care of their grandmother. Sadly, their grandmother died soon after, leading them to be placed in the foster care system.

After his mom died when he was 14 years old, Isaiah and his brother entered the care of their grandmother. Sadly, their grandmother died soon after, leading them to be placed in the foster care system.
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — You’ve probably heard, there’s a continuing problem with finding homes to place teens in the foster care system. Hearing that problem, one woman has taken on the matter in a truly amazing way.
Five young adults who aged out of foster care at 18 years old vulnerably shared their experience transitioning to adulthood after spending most of their childhood in state custody.
Charlotte, NC – (April 1, 2025) – Youth Villages, a nonprofit organization providing services to address children’s mental and behavioral health needs, today announced it was awarded a $1.1 million grant to expand its evidence-based Intercept program in South Carolina.
For Makia, the path from foster care to adulthood was filled with roadblocks. At 12 years old, Makia entered the child welfare system and moved between different foster homes, never quite finding stability and guidance.
Thousands of children experience out-of-home placements in North Carolina, and sometimes, finding a forever home isn’t an option before they age out of the system. Programs like LifeSet help young adults who experience foster care establish independence.
The teen years are filled with growth, change, and emotional ups and downs. One of the most challenging aspects of adolescence is navigating friendships. As a caregiver, you may notice that your teen’s “best friend” suddenly disappears from conversation.
In the United States, 2.5 million children are currently in kinship care, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This represents 3% of all children. In kinship care, relatives such as grandparents, siblings or extended family, raise children.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Every year, nearly 20,000 young people age out of the foster care system across the country—more than 800 of them right here in Tennessee. Without a strong support system, many face overwhelming challenges, including homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration.
As the school year enters its mid-point, many children begin to feel the weight of academic demands, social pressures and extracurricular commitments. Mid-year stress differs from the typical beginning-of-year excitement or end-of-year exhaustion.