Foster and Adopt - Medina County Job and Family Services

 

 

Your Heart, Your Home

No one is quite like you. Whatever your unique mix of marital and parenting status, ethnicity, income-level, and age, your life experiences have strengthened and equipped you for the next step of your journey. Perhaps that journey is foster care or adoption.

It all begins with a conversation.
Call or text (330) 661-0800 for more information;
or submit an inquiry and we will contact you.

 

 

Inquiry Form

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Foster and Adopt

Whether you’ve been curious about fostering or are just now feeling drawn to help families and kids, when you work with Medina County Job and Family Services, you are never alone. We are here to support you while you prepare to give your heart and home to a child in need.

 

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resources

Foster Parent Portal

Don't Say "No" Before You Know

If you need more information before you reach out to talk, check out the Foster Medina Podcast!  It's a podcast where we talk with foster parents about the concerns they had before becoming foster parents.  They had fears, just like you.  It might help to learn how things went for them. 

Click here for the Foster Medina Podcast at FosterMedinaPodcast.com

Or visit our YouTube Channel to watch the episodes there:  

If you are even thinking about becoming a foster parent but aren't sure if it's for you, then this podcast is!

 

                Foster Care Myths

           What is stopping you from finding out             more about becoming a foster parent?
            

              Maybe it's not what you think...
              Don't say no before you know!

                          Learn more here: Foster Care Myths

 

 

Waiting Children Profiles

To view a list of children in Medina County Job and Family Services custody waiting for their forever families, click here.

Waiting Children Profiles 

Becoming a Foster Parent

STEP 1

Application

We use a software program called Binti to facilitate the application process. We will create a profile for you and invite you to complete your application and upload your supporting documents online. You will schedule a time with our staff to complete the fingerprint background check.

STEP 2

Preservice Training

Complete 24 total hours of training, divided between self-directed online training and instructor-led training. All spouses and live-in partners must attend. We have a variety of training options available and can help you find the option that works best for you.
*NEW* Preservice training is now available in an all VIRTUAL format!

STEP 3

Home Study

An assessor will work with you to complete all the paperwork and safety inspections required to become licensed. Several home visits will be conducted, and all family members will be interviewed. Once the home study is complete you will be licensed for foster care and approved for adoption with the State of Ohio. 

 

FOSTER

When children cannot safely remain in their own homes, they are placed in a temporary living situation called foster care. Foster parents—at least 18 years of age and representing a range of marital statuses, orientations, and religions—provide daily care and supervision, acting in place of the parent to make sure all needs of the child are met until children are reunified with their parents or a permanent living situation is arranged for them. The need is greatest for school-age children, teens, and sibling groups. Foster parents receive ongoing training, support, financial assistance, and health care for the children in their care.

Inquiry Form

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ADOPT

There are times when fostering a child leads to the opportunity to adopt. Post Adoption Special Services Subsidy (PASSS) is a state-funded program designed to assist families to receive services after adoption finalization. For information on PASSS, click here. 

Waiting Children Profiles

Ohio Adoption Navigator

Ohio Adoption Grant Program

The Ohio Adoption Grant Program replaces the existing state adoption tax credit This new program offers three levels of one-time payments per child. Ohioans who adopt can apply for a $10,000 one-time payment. Those who adopt a child they've been fostering can apply for a $15,000 one-time payment. If the child has one or more special needs (as defined in the law) prior to the adoption finalization, the parent can apply for a $20,000 one-time payment.

Click Here for More Information and Application

KINSHIP

Are you caring or considering caring for a child already close to the family? Kinship Care describes a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative or any non-relative adult who has a long-standing relationship or bond with the child and/or family, has taken over the full-time, substitute care of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so. Kinship care often offers the greatest level of stability by allowing children to maintain their sense of belonging and enhances their ability to identify with their family's culture and traditions.

Learn More   Kinship Permanency Incentive Application

Ohio Kinship Navigator 

FAQ

There are a lot of questions that arise when thinking about fostering or adopting. 
How long does the licensing process take? What is my role as a foster parent? What supports will I receive?

Find answers to these questions and more here!

Positive Change for Our Community Through Foster Care

You may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world for a child.

Listen to some of our foster parents as they talk about why they chose to step up and become involved with vulnerable children, and how it has impacted their lives. Whatever your "why," you have the opportunity to be part of this positive change for our community.

Could you change the world for a child?

BLOG

Why You Should Still Care About Foster Care in June

June 2, 2025

May was National Foster Care Month, and we’ve worked hard to raise awareness, share stories, and spotlight the needs of kids and families in the foster care system. But foster care isn’t a May-only issue. It’s a year-round reality.

Read More
Something Everyone Asks About

May 21, 2025

The most common question I hear as a foster parent is some version of, "But, won't you get attached?"

Read More
Something No One Talks About

May 20, 2025

There's something you rarely hear about when people talk about foster care. We don’t often hear the stories of the children themselves. Not because their lives aren’t powerful, moving, or worth sharing. But because, in most cases, we’re not allowed to share them.

Read More

View all Foster and Adoption Articles

Medina County
Job and Family Services
232 Northland Drive
Medina, OH 44256
Office: (330) 722-9300
Toll Free: (800) 783-5070 
Fax: (330) 722-3383

CHILD SUPPORT
Phone: (330) 722-9398
Toll-Free: (800) 706-2732
Fax: (330) 722-9238
Email: medina_child_support_01@jfs.ohio.gov
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