mrskatybug

Thank you for sharing - I appreciate the honest insight. I wish you well in your battle.

Arkansas CPS worker of 11+ years here... No questions, just wanted to say thank you for sharing - it's reassuring to hear from someone old enough to verbalize and have some insight into their history and experience. Also, you remind me of one of my very favorite kiddos - she too is parentless, but at 24, has been my kid for 10 years now :)

And to clarify on the $ thing - college depends in each state - in AR it's very capped, only til 21, and ridiculously frustrating to take advantage of - I've only seen a few kids even try, and only 1 of them stayed til 21. Most of the time by age 18, kids just want to be as far from the system as they can get, and as soon as they turn 18, they choose to leave care and any chance at after care benefits. Understandable, but sad and frustrating to see. :(

Oh, and monthly board for foster home placement in AR is ridiculously low too - ranges from $410 a month for ages 0-5 up to $500 for ages 15-17. That goes just about nowhere between diapers for young ones and clothing/school stuff for older ones.

I feel for her - been in those shoes myself! Also, She was born two days after me, and on my due date :)

:) yeah, Texas has way better systems in place in a lot of ways! Both of my own children happen to be adopted, and both are native Texans as well, so Texas has a special place in my heart and we love visiting there! Glad they are treating you well!