Big News Inside: 🎓Scholarship Winners, 💲Confere nce Savings, Legislative Updates & Summer Learning

National Foster Parent Association Newsletter - July, 2026

Arnie Eby, NFPA Executive Director

The summer of 2026 is already busy and full of summertime activities, including the USA's local and national 250th anniversary events, the thrill of the World Cup being played in some of our own US stadiums, and our personal summer vacation plans and activities.

The summer of 2026 has remained busy on the advocacy front as well. In this edition of ConnectU, you'll find child welfare and foster care updates, and current legislative happenings. This summer, NFPA is actively engaging in the current developments affecting child welfare, in providing new summertime-focused training and in planning our upcoming Education conference.

In between the active - and sometimes exhausting - events of summer, please take a few moments to breathe and enjoy the long summertime evenings with those closest to you.

Conference Registration Is Open

Dates: September 27th - 30th | Location: Crystal City, Virginia

Contact us at info@nfpaonline.org for large group rates.

Connect with policymakers and experts, amplify your voice on the Hill, and access workshops designed specifically for foster, adoptive, and kinship families navigating core supports, education, and adoption-competent care.

Highlights

Join our Hill Visitation Day on September 28th - advocate directly with the NFPA on behalf of foster families and children in care. Meet with your legislators in Washington, D.C., and ensure your voice is heard where policy decisions are made. Everyone is welcome. This is your chance to turn lived experience into legislative impact.
Workshops & Sessions: Core supports, education, and adoption-competent care. All sessions are being designed with the needs of Foster, Adoptive and Kinship families in mind.

👉 Session schedule and updates: nfpaeducation.com

We are proud to partner with C.A.S.E, and express our gratitude to event sponsors CENTENE Corporation and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Loyola University Survey Invitation

My name is Josie, and I am a 4th year PsyD student conducting dissertation research on sleep experiences among individuals with lived experience in foster care, and are now between 18 and 26 years of age.

For the past several years, I have been part of a research team examining sleep patterns in children currently in foster care. Building on this work, my research focuses on understanding how individuals who are foster care alumni describe their sleep patterns and how these lived experiences relate to their broader to their sleep health in the past and currently.

Participation involves a one-time interview lasting approximately 40-45 minutes and completing a brief questionnaire. Participants will receive a $20 gift card as compensation for their time. My hope is that findings from this study will help inform the development of more effective, informed interventions on sleep health for those in the foster care system and beyond.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to connecting with you.

If you are interested, please contact my team at:

Fosteringsleep@loyola.edu

Many thanks,
Josie

NFPA Resources on the Topic of Sleep for Children in Foster Care

(Click to download the 'Prioritizing Sleep Health in Foster Care' paper).

The following is an excerpt from the recent NCMEC's quarterly newsletter, and highlights the tremendous value of the Center.

A conversation with NFPA Executive Director, Arnie Erby

How did you first hear about NCMEC?

I was introduced to NCMEC by Kim Parks Bourne (LCSW-C, Program Manager, Children Missing from Care, Missing Children Division, NCMEC). We worked together in Maryland on Child Welfare and training materials. She connected with me once she moved to NCMEC and I went to NFPA.

What inspired you to get involved with NCMEC?

I was impressed by the multitude of resources that are available to parents, caregivers and communities that they don’t know about and as a result are underutilized.

Why are NCMEC’s resources important to be part of the National Foster Parent Association’s services and mission?

A big part of NFPA's mission is to provide resources to families and the caregiving community. With the vast array of resources available through NCMEC, it was a no-brainer to partner and share these valuable resources.

Are there any initiatives you think everyone should know about?

I would highlight the programming for kids. NetSmartz online programming provides critical information that is age appropriate.

What do you think is important for communities to know about the National Foster Parent Association?

NFPA is committed to being a bridge of information and resources to foster adoptive and kinship caregivers. The information and connections often are the difference between success and undesirable outcomes.

Celebrating Resilience and Legacy:

NFPA Announces the 2026 Dondiego
Family Youth Scholarship Recipients

By The Dondiego Family Youth Scholarship Fund Committee

The National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) is honored to announce the recipients of the 2026 Dondiego Family Youth Scholarships, recognizing exceptional youth whose perseverance, leadership, and determination continue to inspire foster, adoptive, kinship, and resource families across the nation.

As we celebrate this year’s scholarship recipients, we also pause to honor the life and legacy of Sue Dondiego, a beloved advocate, leader, and friend to the NFPA community. The NFPA extends our heartfelt condolences to the Dondiego family on the loss of Sue Dondiego. We express our deep gratitude for the countless contributions she made to the NFPA and to children and families throughout New Jersey and beyond. Sue’s compassion, dedication, and tireless advocacy helped shape the foster care community for generations to come.

In 2024, the NFPA proudly renamed its youth scholarship program the Dondiego Family Youth Scholarship Fund to recognize the tremendous impact of Sue Dondiego and her daughter, Mary Beth, whose work and advocacy profoundly touched the lives of children in foster care. Through this annual scholarship program, Sue’s legacy of service and commitment to youth will continue
to be remembered and celebrated for years to come.

The Dondiego Family Youth Scholarships are awarded annually in the categories of Foster Care, Kinship Care, Adoptive Youth, and Resource Family Biological Youth. In addition, the Gordon Evans Scholarship honors the legacy of long-time NFPA supporter and past president Gordon Evans.

The recipients of the 2026 Dondiego Family Youth Scholarships are:

• Josephine Quintana Carrilo – Gordon Evans Scholarship
• Caleb Sutton – Adoptive - Foster Youth
• Briana Alvarez – Foster Care - Youth
• Analiz Pizarro-Harvey – Kinship Care - Youth
• Kylie Taylor – Resource Family - Biological Youth

These outstanding young individuals exemplify courage, resilience, and hope. Their
accomplishments reflect not only their hard work and determination, but also the support and encouragement of the families and communities who have walked beside them.

The 2026 Dondiego Family Youth Scholarship Fund Committee consisted of NFPA Board Members Shawn Johnson, Tammy Wells, and Denise Blakney, who carefully reviewed applications from deserving youth across the country. The committee was deeply inspired by the stories, achievements, and aspirations shared by each applicant.

The NFPA congratulates all of the 2026 scholarship recipients and looks forward to seeing the incredible impact they will make in their schools, communities, and future careers. Through the Dondiego Family Youth Scholarship Fund, the NFPA remains committed to investing in the success and future of youth connected to foster care while honoring the enduring legacy of Sue Dondiego and her family.

For more information on the Dondiego Family Youth Scholarship Fund or to donate, please visit https://nfpaonline.org.

NEW COURSE!

This session is presented by Amber Maccione, the Strategic Operations Consultant at Cognitutor.

What You'll Learn

Understand the “summer slide”

Why skills fade without practice — and why it’s brain science, not bad behavior.

Protect progress in just minutes

Use short, everyday moments instead of worksheets and battles.

Grow reading, math & writing naturally

At the kitchen table, in the car, at the store — no flashcards required.

Take the pressure off yourself

You don’t have to be the teacher to keep your child learning.

Know when extra help makes sense

Spot the signs and find support before the new school year begins.

Visit NFPATI to register and complete this course. >>

Be sure to see Amber Maccione's other popular NFPATI training!

Have you signed up yet? With a FREE NFPATI account, you get:

24/7 access to training
Certificates for completed courses
Tools to stay compliant and informed

✨ Over 57,000 certificates already awarded! 👉 Start learning today.

Arnie Eby recently attended a Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) event, Anchored in Permanency. This event was part of their Fostering Youth Internship Program, which works to bridge the gap between lived experience and government policy.

To that end, ten extraordinary leaders each presented their top recommendation to advance meaningful foster care reform.

This report presents those ten recommendations, and is important reading for parents of children in care.

Read the CCAI Report

50 States Join A Home for Every Child, Creating Nationwide Momentum to Strengthen Families and Recruit Foster Families

Press Release, July 9, 2026

WASHINGTON, DC–The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, joined “A Home for Every Child,” an ACF initiative aimed at increasing the ratio of licensed foster homes relative to children in foster care. The overwhelming state response represents a sweeping national commitment to one clear goal: ensuring every child in foster care has access to a safe, stable, loving home. Nationwide, there are 57 licensed foster homes for every 100 children in care, a gap the initiative plans to close through efforts that strengthen families, prioritize prevention, and recruit and retain qualified foster families.

The 52 participating states and jurisdictions joined A Home for Every Child thanks to the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, whose Fostering the Future Executive Order prioritized shifting federal oversight away from bureaucratic compliance and toward measurable outcomes. A Home for Every Child operationalized parts of their Executive Order by offering states an alternative Program Improvement Plan (PIP) under the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) —replacing lengthy paperwork exercises with a single, unifying measure: a state’s ratio of licensed foster homes to children in care. Child welfare jurisdictions nationwide have volunteered to participate because PIPs — long criticized as burdensome busywork that pulled caseworkers away from families — are now a vehicle for state innovation and shared accountability.

Read the full press release >>

Returning Education to the States

The Trump Administration is committed to returning education authority where it belongs: the states!

The Department of Education was established in 1980 with the promise of improving education outcomes for America’s students. $3 trillion in taxpayer dollars later, national test scores in reading, writing, and math have plummeted: in 2024, only 35% of fourth and eighth graders in our nation were proficient in reading, and only 39% of fourth graders and 28% of eighth graders were proficient in mathematics.

Our nation’s failing education system is a direct threat to our economic strength, national security, and civic health. We must restore excellence in education.

Secretary McMahon is entrusted with delivering one of President Trump’s most consequential promises: breaking up the education bureaucracy in D.C. and returning educational responsibility to state and local leaders – and ultimately parents – to unleash a new era of excellence.

Follow along for updates on our work to return education to the states. >>

IMPORTANT FOSTER CARE-RELATED BILLS TO WATCH

S. 162 - Recruiting Families Using Data Act

Status: Formerly HR 579 This bill has passed the House and is now known as S 162 now that it's in the Senate, and is sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley.

Makes the diligent recruitment plan requirements of Title IV-B more robust and requires states to use a data-driven approach for identifying potential foster parents.

The NFPA has been actively involved in the presentation of this bill to the House of Representatives, and will continue to follow and support it now that it's in the Senate.

HR 7432 - Fostering the Future Act

This bill expands states' permissible uses of federal funds under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee program) to include supportive housing services.

A NEW BILL TO WATCH: Informed Foster Youth Act of 2026

This bill would ensure that youth leaving foster care have the vital documents and available services needed for a successful transition into adulthood.

Submitted by Chuck Grassley, (R- Iowa) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.). For details, click HERE.

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