Governor Gregoire Addresses Annual Celebration of Foster Care Month (As Written)

May 1, 2007

We are here today to acknowledge the caring and commitment of thousands of adults in Washington who have stepped up to take care of children needing a safe and stable place to call home.

These foster parents and relative caregivers have performed the ultimate act of compassion � opening up their homes to a child in a time of need.

We are also honoring those who work alongside foster parents and relative caregivers � the social workers, child advocates, volunteers, community partners and staff of private agencies � who value every child and make our foster care system work.

I know how remarkably resilient and capable foster children are. But I also know that no child can succeed in life completely on his or her own.

They need mentors, they need support, they need love and kindness- all the things that you in this room provide.

So, in recognition of all you do, I have proclaimed May Foster Care Month here in Washington.

The theme of this year�s Foster Care Month is �Changing a Lifetime.� Indeed that is what so many of you are doing.

You may have heard how I began my career in public service- I started working in the child welfare caseworker for the Department of Social and Health Services.

And as an Assistant Attorney General, I represented the Children�s Administration.

I worked with children in the most difficult circumstances, and I did what I could to protect them and give them a shot at a better life.

I specifically recall the case of one severely abused little girl. I was a young assistant AG, and I worked to place that abused child in a loving foster home � and ensure that her abusive dad was sent off to Monroe.

That was my last point of contact with procedure dictating that other providers in our child-welfare system monitor and care for her.

Years later, I received a note from the foster mother who adopted that little girl.

She wanted to thank me for helping rescue her daughter, and she had wonderful news to report: That girl was now a student at Eastern Washington University � studying social work. What a gift that was.

Receiving that note was the proudest moment I�ve had in all my years of public service.

I continue to look for ways to support our foster children now as Governor and I�m pleased to say we made some good progress during the legislative session that ended just last week.

We�ve started a pilot Center for Foster Care Health Services, which provides medical evaluations within 72 hours of a child�s entry into foster care, timely access to medically necessary primary and specialty health services, and a medical home for one-stop coordinated care.

And we�re making critical investments in the state budget including:

  • Funding to ensure children and youth in foster care are visited at least monthly to ensure that they are safe and their service plans are proceeding on track.
  • Enhanced efforts to search for kinship placements.
  • Increased clothing allowances for foster children.
  • Support for the new Partners for our Children Center starting up at the University of Washington � funded with a generous contribution from the Ballmer family � to research best practices in foster youth and further disseminate those best practices.


We also made progress on some other key measures that will help create a bright future for foster children and all Washington children:

  • We�re increasing access to health care for children and raising reimbursement rates so that our children actually get in to see a doctor.
  • And we�re building a world-class education system and making a college education more affordable and available to our young people.


I�ve really enjoyed my work with the Governor's Scholarship Program to help foster youth attend college. I have been enormously impressed by the young adults I�ve met the last two years who've been awarded grants through the program.

They�ve shown me that with some help and support they can do wonderful things in life.

And the stories you�ll be hearing later from Jamerica and Jamila illustrate that, too.

In closing, I want to tell you about the blue ribbon I�m wearing.

The National Blue Ribbon Campaign is being spearheaded by Casey Family Programs, a national child welfare organization with its roots right here in Washington.

The ribbon symbolizes children in out-of-home care. On any given day about 9,600 children are in care in Washington - nationally there are 518,000.

So in support of all those children and each one of you who is �Changing a Lifetime�- I let me thank you on behalf of the citizens of our state.

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