National program aims to find more Spanish-speaking foster parents

The beginning is rarely easy.

When children are placed into foster homes, they often are leery of their new surroundings and distrustful of their foster parents. The older they are, the tougher it is.

Many have been neglected or abused, and suffer from emotional and behavioral problems as a result.

But it was well worth it for Petra Olvera of Beach Park and Nydia Sanchez of Oak Forest, both of whom have taken in and then adopted not one, not two -- but four and five foster children, respectively.

In fact, they say they simply couldn't help it.

"The months go by and you are the only family that they really know," Sanchez said. "When the (biological parents') rights are terminated, you feel like 'OK, they are ours now.' "

"The option was to adopt or let them go," Petra Olvera said. "I did not even have to think about it."

The two families are local examples of what a new national campaign hopes to accomplish: encourage Spanish-speaking families to adopt children in the U.S. foster care system. The non-profit Advertising Council is teaming up on the campaign with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families and the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids.

About 514,000 children are in foster care in the United States, about 115,000 of whom are available for adoption. The majority are black boys; Latino children make up about 15 percent. Every year, more than 24,000 children "age out" of the foster care system without having been permanently placed with families.

Sanchez, 45, first considered foster care after watching a late-night commercial about two decades ago, when she and her husband were raising their own daughter, then 5, and 1½-year-old son.

They welcomed their first foster children -- two sets of twins -- into their home at a time when Sanchez was a stay-at-home mom. Her days revolved around making meals for the little ones and fetching her daughter from school, not an easy feat with five toddlers in her care.

Yet Sanchez remembers the time fondly. "It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed fixing plates for all six and putting out all their clothes," said Sanchez, who now works as a family resource employee at the Adoption Information Center in Chicago.

Next came a second set of toddler girls. The Sanchezes adopted the two when their biological parents' rights were terminated. The girls are now 16 and 17.

It wasn't always smooth, Sanchez said.

One of her adoptive children, now 24, was 10 and quite feisty when she came to live with the family. "She didn't follow directions, and there was a lot of back talk."

Eventually, the girl settled down, and the family adopted her. But when she turned 18, she left home, and the Sanchezes have no contact with her, although they know where she lives.

"It's difficult when you don't understand why something happens, but that's how it goes sometimes," Sanchez said.

Another adoptive child is a 24-year-old who is mentally disabled and now lives in a residential program.

Sanchez says that as a foster mom she has always had to remember that her main job was to give love and temporary shelter.

"You need to be involved and you have to have a lot of understanding," she said. "You need to praise the child for good behavior, and give them a lot of attention. You need to overflow."

Olvera's path to adopting foster children started very close to home, about 20 years ago. Now 48, Olvera says it felt almost natural to parent the youngsters because they were her sister's children.

But it wasn't until nine years ago that she and her husband, José, who have three adult children, decided to take in more foster children. "I have always loved kids, so we decided to do it," she said.

Over the years, the Olveras have had several foster children -- some for as few as three days and others as long as six months. Once, a sickly premature baby died while in their care despite medical attention. Olvera gets teary-eyed when she recounts the story.

Today, the Olveras once again have a full house: Four years ago, they adopted four foster children -- three siblings, now ages 8, 9 and 11, and a girl, 12. And they have two foster children ages 10 and 5.

At first, it was tough because two of the adopted children have learning disabilities and had a difficult time adjusting. "They had a lot of problems, but they have made a lot of progress. Now they feel like this is their family," she said.

Financially, though, things are tight. Olvera's husband makes almost $50,000 a year working at a factory, barely enough to keep up with expenses, the couple said. For example, they go through up to 10 gallons of milk per week.

José Olvera said that when social workers encouraged them to adopt, they promised help that never materialized, such as waived school fees and reduced-price school lunches. A small monthly subsidy for each child from the Department of Children and Family Services is not enough, he said. School enrollment fees were about $500, and eyeglasses nearly $600, for example.

At the time of adoption, the parents and DCFS sign an agreement that outlines the parents' monthly subsidy and any services to be reimbursed by the state, said June Dorn, an adoption specialist with the state agency.

The Olveras didn't want to disclose how much money they receive from the state. But typically, adoptive parents get a baseline of $360 to $444 per month per child depending on the age of the child, Dorn said. However, parents can request amendments to the agreement even after adoption has taken place, she said.

Dorn would not comment on the Olveras' case, but she said that the family can ask for a review and request a subsidy increase.

In the end, raising adoptive children can be just as full of fun, difficulties and unexpected turns as raising biological children, Sanchez said.

"You need to be strong," she said. "You will do what you need to do for them, because they are your children."

To find out more

• The Adoption Information Center in Chicago: (800) 572-2390. Dial ext. 216 for Spanish.

• Or, for information about foster care and the adoption process:

-- Call (888) 200-4005 or visit www.adoptuskids.org (for English)

-- Call (877) ADOPTE1 or visit www.adopte1.org.

Children in need

Here's a look at the number of children available for adoption in Illinois through the department of children and family services:

Black 125

Caucasian 53

Hispanic 21

Asian 1

Other 5

Note: As of Jan. 11

Source: DCFS

Adoptive parents

Here's a look at Illinois adoptions completed from January 2006 to January 2007 through the department of children and family services:

Fathers Mothers

Black 24 58

Caucasian 23 34

Hispanic 4 6

Other 1 0

Source: DCFS