Creating a family
About Us - Creating a Family
About Us
Creating a Family is the national adoption & foster care education and support nonprofit. Our mission is to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Our vision is that every adopted and foster child has a family who understands their unique gifts and challenges and is equipped to help them thrive. All of our resources are expert-based and trauma-informed. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and you can check out our financials and IRS Form 990 at GuideStar. Creating a Family does not discriminate against age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national origin.
Check out our Media Resources here.
History and Mission of Creating a Family
Creating a Family started in 2007 as a labor of love. As parents raising children with early life trauma and special needs, we saw the huge need for education and support to help us be the best parents possible to our kids. Foster, kinship, and adoptive parents need information because our children often struggle with emotional and educational challenges that can make parenting hard. It is important, however, that this information be expert-based and trauma-informed rather than the anecdotal sharing that often takes place. The mission of Creating a Family is to do just that– to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them by creating engaging, expert-based, and trauma-informed resources and training.
We create resources for families raising kids who have experienced the trauma of neglect, abuse, and prenatal exposure. Our resources embrace all the current media in order to fit the learning style and time availability of busy parents. In addition to education, we know first-hand the power of support and being surrounded by others who understand your experience. As such, we run a large online support group for adoptive, foster, and kinship families.
Dawn Davenport is Executive Director and the “Official Voice” of Creating a Family since she has been hosting our weekly podcast since 2007 and is a frequent speaker at conferences. (We try to not let that title go to her head.) We also are proudly led by a terrific Board. You can check out their bona fides if you’re so inclined.
- Dawn Davenport, Executive Director
- Our Board
We have some of the best, brightest, and most dedicated folks helping us provide unbiased information and support. Check out their pretty/handsome faces and a bit about them.
- Our Staff
Our Partners
Creating a Family would not be able to continue our work without the support of our dedicated partners.
- Our Partners
- I’m interested in learning more about partnership
Join Us
Creating a Family, the national adoption and foster care support and education nonprofit, was founded out of the need for a clear voice in this field.
We exist to provide unbiased, accurate information. We are passionate researchers, networkers, and educators who spend each day finding and creating new resources to support families. Our educational content is not motivated by a sales agenda, so our community knows they can trust us as they consider some of the biggest decisions a family can make.
If this mission speaks to you, join us.
Bit of Bragging
Of course we’re proud of what we do, but what matters most is what our audience has to say. Here’s a sampling:
- I wanted to thank you for all of the wonderful things you do. We brought our beautiful baby boy home from the hospital on April 2nd. While we waited for an adoption match and then waited for his birth, your podcast and website were a continuous reminder that we were part of an amazing adoption community. It really helped us not feel alone. ~Sarah S.
- I just felt like I should say Thank You this morning! Your website and e-mails have consistently been a “touch stone” for me through this whole process – sometimes reaffirming what I already believe, sometimes giving me a different perspective, but always being something that I can respect and learn from.
Thank you for this!!! ~ L. Adams - Creating a Family has made a big difference to the quality of information that we can share with our adoptive community. We sometimes use your podcasts as the basis for roundtable discussions or our monthly Parent Support Meetings. ~ Louise Garnaut (Adoptive Families of Hong Kong)
Have you noticed the wonderful pictures throughout our site? Some are from our online support community and some not. Some photographers have asked for attribution, and some have requested anonymity. Whenever possible, we give attribution at the bottom of the page on which the picture appears. This is not always possible, so we’ve included the rest on a separate Photo Attribution Page.
Creating a Family Adoption & Foster Care Education
Adoptive and foster families need current, up-to-date education to build a strong family. Our courses are:
- Engaging
- Affordable
- Fully mobile-friendly
- Expert-based
- Trauma-Informed
- Hague-aligned
The Creating a Family audio courses are conversational, offering families the opportunity to hear a true national expert address the topics parents care about.
They include New York Times bestselling authors, leading researchers, adoption-competent therapists, pediatricians, and others who have meaningful wisdom to impart for the foster & adoption journey.
No more power-point, and no more talking heads reading from a pre-written script.
Courses Taken
Parent Training
Our online learning platform offers a variety of courses designed to satisfy pre-adoption home study requirements for families adopting domestically or internationally and the in-service training needs of foster families. Save 40% on our learning packages.
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Social Workers (CE)
Creating a Family is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) #886829466.
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Support Group Curricula
Expert-based, trauma-informed parent support group curricula with everything you need to run a high-quality online or in-person foster, adoptive, or kinship parent support group.
Each Parent Support Group Curriculum covers a different topic relevant to foster, adoptive, and kinship parenting and comes with a video, facilitator guide, handouts, additional resource guide, and certificate of attendance (for foster parent CE).
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FREE Courses
Made available through the support of
Jockey Being Family®
Discover courses to support adoptive, foster, and kinship families.
Find FREE Courses
New Courses Available
-
Finding an Adoption and Foster Competent Therapist
Course$20
-
Introduction to Foster Parenting
Course$10
-
Parenting Toolkit for Harder to Parent Kids
Course$20
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What our customers have to say.
.. N.M.
I've taken several of your courses and they have been extremely helpful. Definitely worth the time and money.
Suzanne G.
Creating A Family is an absolutely INVALUABLE resource to us. At this point, we have no idea what “our child’s” history/background is, but the info/education we’ve received from you has given us hope and perspective. Thank you!
Margaret O.
Highly recommend for everyone who is on their own journey or are supporting others in building their families.
New Beginnings International Children's and Family Services, Inc.
Victoria Kilpatrick, LCSW, International Program Director
The AdoptEd Center: Online Education for Parents has been an invaluable resource for our families both pre- and post-adoption. Trainings are an essential part of the pre-adoption phase, and we are seeing an increasing number of families realize the value of training and additional resources in post-adoption. The fact that Creating a Family has a wide variety of topics makes it easy for families to find what they need, as well as helping to normalize what the families and children are experiencing.
C.A.
I did an online course and loved it!
Love these courses! I can’t get enough information in my adoption preparation, and these are easy and enjoyable!
So thorough! Can’t think of anything I would improve.
Loved the ADHD class!
The courses were fun and very convenient.
You offered great resources that broke down the meaning of a lot of my child’s actions and behaviors, which made me think about them in a more helpful, productive way.
How to decide to start a family
Man and woman
Why are today's young people, unlike their parents and even more so grandparents, in no hurry to start a family? Each has its own reasons, here are a few of the most common.
1. Orientation towards "easy relationships"
What distinguishes modern people aged 25-30 from representatives of previous generations? First of all, the availability of opportunities, freedoms, choice. Today, the majority, regardless of gender, are busy with self-realization, searching for themselves, building a career.
There is not much time and energy left for relationships, and therefore many people living together with a partner prefer frequent meetings and dates. In addition, many do not know how to support another and accept support, “fill up” with others, while respecting his personal space.
2. Fear of possible emotional and financial costs
Most young people care about financial security and professional ambitions, so it can be difficult to decide on a relationship. In trying to determine whether the game is worth the candle, whether it is worth "investing" their resources in a relationship, many put off the issue of marriage.
3. Selfishness, inability to negotiate
It would seem that there is nothing wrong with trying to prove one's innocence, but it is important to be able to listen and hear the other side. This doesn't work for everyone. Competing and proving one's superiority turns out to be easier than cooperating, supporting a partner, trying to look at the situation through his eyes.
For many, the meeting format is more attractive than a long-term relationship, because you do not need to take responsibility and obligations. In addition, the longer a person lives alone, the less ready to change their usual way of life for the sake of another.
How do you decide on marriage or a long-term relationship?
- First of all, you need to understand why you need a family. Is this your sincere desire or a decision made under the pressure of society: do your parents want to “baby grandchildren”, and all your friends have been in a relationship for a long time?
- It is important to feel secure in a relationship and support each other, taking into account past experiences, yours and your partner's.
- It is necessary to understand what is more important for each of you at this stage. If the partner is more interested in professional implementation, this must be accepted. And the best way to find out is to talk to each other. The better the contact between you, the easier it is to agree on the conditions for creating a family.
Considering that he should guess everything himself and that if we tell him something, “it will no longer be his sincere desire, but the answer to my request”, we lead the relationship to a dead end. At the same time, it is necessary to discuss at least approximate terms: when exactly the partner will be ready to return to the conversation about marriage - in order to understand whether it is worth hoping for something. - It is important to clarify financial matters. The best option is when partners openly discuss the topic of money and can rely on each other, feeling mutual support.
Once you've discussed all of these issues and cleared up any misunderstandings, moving along a healthy relationship "schedule" will be much easier, and it will organically lead your couple to the decision to start a family.
About the expert
Anna Devyatka — family psychologist, psychotherapist. Her website.
Photo source: Getty Images
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Creating a family: simple rules and conditions
Creating a family is a difficult and long process that does not always end in success. In most cases, it turns out to be an excellent and comfortable cell of society, and in some cases pain and disappointment remain. How to avoid this and form a full-fledged family? This question is asked by many young girls and guys, which is why it is worth starting to solve it!
What hinders starting a family?
You also need to deal with the problem that prevents you from creating a happy family. It can be several factors:
- Permanent employment. You are either very passionate about something, or always at work, or your life consists of a family, children. In this case, you just need to unwind, take a walk, do something interesting.
- Parents.
If your mother is against a relationship with a certain person, then the question involuntarily arises in your head: "Is it worth starting them?" In any case, you are already an adult, so try to make your own decision!
Serious acquaintances for creating a family
You are not yet a married couple and you do not have an applicant to become one. Then you need to find a person who could make your family leisure happy, make life bright and fun! It is worth taking a closer look: perhaps this person is next to you. First, look for a caring guy or girl around you.
If no one compliments you, gives you gifts and other pleasant events, then it's time to discard people from your environment. Now do the following:
- Go outside. Take a walk, spend more time outdoors. There is a possibility that your person is close. Therefore, walk!
- Dating sites. Visit various dating sites, pages of attractive men in social networks. Do not be too intrusive, but you can write first!
In order to start a relationship, you need to work long and hard, and not just sit in one place.
Be sure to try, because every attempt brings you closer to success!
What should be done first? First Steps to Joint Happiness
To begin with, while you are still an ordinary couple, you need not only to create a trusting atmosphere, but also to complete the following list of actions:
- Avoid quarrels and conflicts. To create a happy family, you need to try to avoid major quarrels, terrible conflicts. Try to either translate them into a joke, or find a solution to the problem together. Listen to the comments of the second half, express your opinion, but not too much. Work on yourself and first of all pay attention to yourself.
- Do not let other people interfere with your privacy. You should not tell everyone what problems you have, especially in the family. Try to deal with everything on your own, with a guy. If there are any concerns, then do not be shy - discuss them with your soulmate. Your future home is your cozy territory, in which you need to immediately build understanding and trust.
All this is worth considering while you are a regular couple. Do not create any special conflicts and try not to divulge all the secrets of your personal life. You can ask for advice from your parents, girlfriend, but do it within reason.
How is a family formed? Or what life is built of
Now you are more than a couple if you start trusting each other and stop making all quarrels something important and focusing too much attention on them. It's time to create a unit of society, and at the second stage do it:
- One of the conditions for creating a family is the distribution of responsibilities. While you are still a couple, this may not be so important, but when you start living together, then all the changes will be obvious. That is why plan all your actions in advance, try to distribute responsibilities. The creation of an Orthodox family is also based on this.
- One of the important conditions for creating a prosperous family is a common child.
Therefore, if you want to have a baby, then be sure to consider this important life step, calculate the approximate costs. The sooner you have a child, the sooner you can get a good family. You should not delay, but the birth should also be in appropriate conditions.
When you consider these 2 points, it will become much easier to start a kind and loving family.
How to create a friendly family? Basic rules in a family with a child
In the modern world of development of computer technologies, new areas in the information structure, each person becomes more or less dependent on gadgets. That is why the usual friendly communication goes by the wayside. In order to return it, you need:
- One of the most important aspects of creating a family is understanding the little joys of your child. Try to remember when the baby was the happiest and repeat this moment! Find enough time to spend with your child. It is during the time that you spend with your child that you can learn about his desires and experiences.
- New acquaintances. To create a family, you must immediately accustom your children to the daily routine. Show the kid some child of his age who makes the bed, does his homework. It can be set as an example, but do not overdo it. Otherwise, the children may think that you do not love them and become very upset.
- If you have a free moment, talk to the baby. During a walk, breakfast or at another free moment, ask how he is doing, what they did in kindergarten or school. Maintain dialogue if necessary.
The most important thing is to talk to people, and your child is no exception, rather, on the contrary, a shining example.
Why do relationships fade away? Warm feelings in the family
Sooner or later you begin to realize that there is a crisis in your feelings. The former passion has already passed, all days are becoming ordinary and nondescript. What to do? Look for the answer:
- Creation of a family. Men in some couples very often forget that time flies very quickly and it's time to start building a family.
That is why, if you are still a loving couple, but the relationship is starting to fade, then think about building a family hearth. - Humble yourself. If you are already a family, then just accept the idea that relationships will not always be great. Remember why you fell in love with your husband or wife? Scroll warm and pleasant moments in your head, it will become easier.
- Compliments. Do you think your man has stopped complimenting you? Then bestow flattering words on him! Remind me how smart, strong and good your boyfriend is! Give compliments first to get them back!
- Solve all problems calmly. Got a family quarrel? Any other embarrassing situation that caused you and your wife to have a big fight? Try to resolve the conflict differently next time, using tenderness and understanding! After all, it is understanding that is the basis of future family victories and one of the most important aspects of creating a family!
- Don't be a selfish person.
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