Milwaukee County needs Spanish-speaking foster parents
MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. - Milwaukee County needs foster parents, but matching up kids with families who speak the same language is a challenge.
Right now, Children's Wisconsin says there's a mismatch. They have more children in foster care who speak Spanish than they do Spanish-speaking foster parents.
And they're hoping technology will help bridge the gap.
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Playing and learning
"They brought a lot of joy to the house," said Ricardo Hernandez.
That childlike joy is fairly recent.
"Here we are, six years," said Eva Hernandez.
Eva and Ricardo Hernandez couldn't have biological children, so they became foster parents. So far, they've adopted three foster children and are in the process of adopting their fourth.
It was an experience they'd never considered, until Eva heard a Spanish ad from Children's Wisconsin.
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"It said if you wanted to be a hero. That there were many Latino kids entering the foster system," added Eva.
After lots of talking and planning, Eva and Ricardo decided to foster Spanish-speaking children.
"Right now in Milwaukee County there are about 1,800 kids in foster care," said Ashley Argall, who is a Foster Parent Recruitment Specialist for Children’s Wisconsin.
Of those 1,800, about 13% identify as a Hispanic or Latino. Only 7% of current foster families identify as the same.
They didn't have exact numbers of how many foster parents speak Spanish, but they know they don't have enough.
"As kids grow, that identity, that connection with that community that they are from is very important for kids," added Argall. "For maintaining those language connections and cultural connections for all kids when they come into care, especially for kids who are Spanish Speaking."
Children's Wisconsin recruits, licenses, and supports foster parents in Milwaukee County. The Foster Parent Recruitment Team recently created a webpage in Spanish for those interested in fostering.
"We’ve had about 15 more inquiries than we had in the past just in these past couple of weeks," Argall said. "Children’s is one of the only agencies in the state that is able to do the full (training) process in either Spanish or English."
The goal is to recruit more people like the Hernandez family.
FOX6 asked the Hernandez family what has been the most rewarding experience for them.
Ricardo replied "The love that the kids give you. There's no comparison."
If you speak Spanish and are interested in fostering, you can head to the Children's Wisconsin website.
En Español: haga clic aquí