Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program

Teach Anytime

Perfect for May or any SEL/family unit

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Let Us Know Where Students Are Learning About Foster Care Adoption

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Elementary school (K-5) lesson plan flyer on foster care, adoption, and family diversity, featuring activities to help kids understand and celebrate different families.

What students will learn: empathy, identity, and inclusion — through an age-appropriate, character-building lens

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Three people holding Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Week materials, including coloring pages and a book. Two are wearing Girl Scouts vests with badges.
Women reading a book to a group of children in a classroom.
A young girl smiling and holding up a colorful sign that says, 'You could be a forever family.' She is standing in a living room with a table covered with markers in front of her, and a small trampoline in the background.

About the Program

The Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program was created by adoptive mom Marcy Bursac, in partnership with Girl Scouts Courtney Kirks and Macey Thompson for their Silver Award.

Launched in 2023 across five school districts in St. Charles and St. Louis Counties, the Junior Edition is a free, ready-to-use, 30-45 minute lesson designed for elementary students.

Why Teach This in May?

With 1 in 25 students being adopted, many children have personal connections to adoption or foster care—yet these topics are often left out of classroom conversations. This elementary school empathy lesson helps fill that gap.

By teaching this reading program, your students will:

  • Build awareness of different family structures

  • Learn how love, care, and belonging shape who we become

  • Engage in a story-driven character education experience

What’s Included in the Free Download?

A Turnkey SEL and Literacy Resource for K-5 Classrooms

This character education and SEL resource includes:

  • A digital children’s book about foster care adoption

  • A one-week, standards-aligned lesson plan

  • Printable worksheets and discussion prompts

  • Guidance for age-appropriate classroom conversations about family and belonging

What’s Next: Teen Edition Coming in 2026

Built around the powerful new graphic novel Ready or Not—will extend this empathy-building experience to grades 6–12 through English Language Arts and Social-Emotional Learning opportunities.

Ready to Help Your Students Feel Seen?

Get your free lesson now and join schools across the U.S. building empathy through story and conversation.

Together, let’s help every child feel like they belong.

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Ambassador Webinar

Just your email and state. Get instant access to your free lesson and help us track where kids are learning about foster care adoption.

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A colorful informational poster about a lesson plan titled 'There Are Different Types of Families,' designed for empathy-building with K-5 students. It includes sections on the lesson's content, purpose, student benefits, icons highlighting features like family structures and adoption statistics, and copyright information.

What students will learn: empathy, identity, and inclusion — through an age-appropriate, character-building lens

Real Classrooms. Real Impact.

  • "I think this is so great to get kids thinking about and spreading awareness!"

    - Kindergarten teacher

  • "This lesson was so meaningful to my son last year. He was adopted through foster care and it helped his friends understand what it meant to be adopted."

    -Lindsay, Adoptive Mom

  • "What a wonderful lesson! It was truly touching to discuss forever families with my students!"

    - 3rd grade teacher

swag

Every purchase makes a difference—helping fund the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program and empowering students to learn about belonging, empathy, and the power of forever families.

When you buy a tee or hat, you’re not just repping a movement—you’re helping bring foster care adoption stories into classrooms across the country.

Wear it proudly. Gift it generously. Share the mission.
Because children waiting to be adopted deserve to be seen.

Blue T-shirt with colorful text that says 'You could be a forever family'.

Adult & Youth T-Shirt

Blue T-shirt with colorful text that reads 'you could be a Forever Family'.
Blue baseball cap with a circular patch that says "You could be A Forever Family" in colorful letters.

Women’s T-Shirt

Youth Cap

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THE BOOK

Two young girls sitting together, one holding a children's book titled 'Are You a Forever Family?' with an illustration of diverse family members on the cover.
BOOK READ BY STORYTIME PUP
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Podcast episode titled 'The Forgotten Adoption Option' featuring Jamie Strauss and Linda Armbruster, elementary educators, discussing a foster care adoption awareness reading program for schools. Includes a play button and audio controls.

How can teachers introduce foster care adoption awareness in their classrooms?


In this episode, Mrs. Strauss, a kindergarten teacher, and Mrs. Armbruster, a third grade teacher, share their experiences piloting and teaching the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program—plus insights from co-presenting at a statewide educators' conference.

Listen Now
Colorful illustration of three cartoon characters standing together, featuring distinctively colorful hair and attire.

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