This week, Gov. Sarah Sanders joined other state leaders and foster care advocates to announce the launch of a new “ground game” initiative by Every Child Arkansas, inviting businesses, health care facilities, and schools to inspire and educate Arkansans on the importance of helping our state’s foster care children find a safe, stable place to call home.

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Thousands of Arkansas children are currently trapped in our foster care system – nearly half of whom may never be reunited with their families. With too many children in the system and too few foster families, Arkansas children and families deserve better. But thankfully, due to the leadership of Governor Sanders and the support of Every Child Arkansas, help is on the way.

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‍WATCH: GOV. SANDERS, STATE LEADERS ANNOUNCE ECA ‘GROUND GAME’

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‍Every Child Arkansas (ECA), a coalition of nearly 20 nonprofits engaged in educating the public, training new foster parents, and advocating for children, played a central role in the event. Opportunity Arkansas recently joined the ECA coalition in April.

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‍“Over the past year, ECA has made major headway in improving our state's foster care landscape. They’ve streamlined the process to become a foster care parent, helping children in need find a home faster. They’ve also broken down silos between the non-profits and state agencies that make our foster system work. And they're a growing presence at events like this one, online and across the state.” - Gov. Sarah Sanders

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As part of OA’s involvement with ECA, we will feature foster care stories from across the state to raise awareness, partner with organizations that are providing community support to improve outcomes for children and families, and advocate for necessary policy changes that prioritize keeping families and children together.

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Opportunity Arkansas has been working since its inception to solve the foster care crisis and protect families.

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The Monday event with Governor Sanders also featured foster care advocates, including Tiffany Wright, Arkansas Director of Children and Family Services, Dr. Derek Brown of Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries, and Jordan Summers, foster mom and fierce supporter of foster kids.

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‍“Our goal in partnership with ECA is to have more than enough foster homes across the state with emphasis on older youth and large sibling groups. Because we believe that every child in our state deserves a safe stable family every day.” - Director Tiffany Wright

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Advocates spoke on practical ways businesses, health care facilities, and schools can inspire and advocate for foster kids. The overarching goal is to recruit more than enough foster families for the children in Arkansas’s foster care system, while prioritizing sibling groups and older youth. 

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Additional plans include:

• Businesses featuring foster parents and offering the same parental leave policies for foster parents; 
• Educating more families to foster children; 
• Better utilizing existing resources and organizations to assist foster families; and
• Encouraging additional partnerships across the state to join the cause.

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Events like the one this week play an important role in providing resources and raising awareness about how more individuals can become involved with Every Child Arkansas and join in the effort to ensure our state’s most vulnerable kids are protected. Opportunity Arkansas is honored to be a part of this effort.

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To learn more about ECA and how you can play your part, visit EveryChildArkansas.org.