Each May, a partnership of 17 of the nation's leading child welfare organizations presents National Foster Care Month. This annual celebration helps raise awareness and secure more support for children and youth in foster care throughout the entire year. This year, we are pleased to offer this Toolkit in CD form and online at www.fostercaremonth.org. The Toolkit offers some practical ideas, tips and easy-to-use templates to get you started with your planning process. We hope these materials will help you leverage available resources and the increased visibility made possible through the national campaign.

Inside the Toolkit

• The National Foster Care Month Campaign
  Learn more about the national awareness and call-to-action effort
• Recognize
  Honor and recognize the work of people making a difference in the lives of children in foster care
• Promote
  Spread the word about Foster Care Month and the year-round needs of youth in out-of-home care
• Support
  Recruit more support for children in foster care from different segments of your community
• Working with Media
  Get pointers for pitching foster care stories, events and other activities to the local media
• Youth Engagement
  Introducing bandtogether, a youth-led campaign that encourages young people to understand, serve and speak out about foster care