About Our Program
Since 1986, Kennedy Krieger’s Therapeutic Foster Care program, has been offering a continuum of services for children with special needs who require temporary or permanent out-of-home placement.
Children who are placed in foster and adoptive homes through Kennedy Krieger may have a history of, or be at risk for, institutional or hospital placement. Working in partnership with public and private child welfare agencies, children are matched with families who can offer them stability, love and attention, until they can be reunited with their families, adopted, or transitioned to independent living.
Kennedy Krieger is in an excellent position to provide these specialized services, because it has been helping children who have experienced trauma and are diagnosed with emotional/behavioral health conditions, developmental disabilities and/or medically complex conditions for more than 70 years. Kennedy Krieger’s interdisciplinary teams are experts in providing diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and research of a vast range of cognitive, physical and emotional conditions.
The Therapeutic Foster Care Program offers domestic foster care and adoption services that are primarily funded through the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR). Therapeutic Foster Care serves more than 100 children each year.
How You Can Help
Become a Treatment Foster Care Parent
Provide a home and care for a children until they have been returned to their biological family, placed with a relative, adopted or transitioned to independent living.
Adopt a Child
As a licensed adoption agency, we specialize in placing children with families interested in adding to their family.
Provide Respite Care
If you want to help, but are unable to adopt or foster, respite care gives you the opportunity to provide care for short periods of time - a few hours a day, during the weekend, etc.
Therapeutic Therapeutic Foster Care Treatment Parent Testimonials
The best part of the work is helping a child to reach his full potential in life."
— Diane Fiala
Our foster child fits so comfortably here that it feels like he has been in our home forever. I didn't expect that."
— Brenda Super
I never anticipated being a foster parent for this long. I love what I do."
— William Hardy
We get a tremendous amount of support from Kennedy Krieger Institute. If we have a crisis, we can turn to staff members who are right there. They have gone as far as accompanying us to the hospital on emergency visits."
— Theresa Morris
This program had me thinking in a new direction that Tim has a future and a life. There are people at Kennedy Krieger who really care. It meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to Tim."
—Timothy Bruce, birth father of Tim