Through community partnership, Tidewater Friends of Foster Care works to provide resources to ensure foster youth have the opportunity to grow and thrive. Through our mission to assist children and families in foster care, we provide the following support:
Caregivers can Submit Program Requests Here
Our Programs:
Tutoring
We provide free one-on-one, in-home academic tutoring to foster children who need extra support to be successful in school and this support continues after the children are reunited with their families. Completing the Request below will initiate a Consent Form for the student’s Social Worker (city agency worker) to approve Tutoring Services. Services will not begin until the social worker approves and returns the consent form. IXL is an online resource tool for youth k-12 who are already enrolled in the TFFC tutoring program.
Coaching
We provide free one-on-one, in-home career coaching to foster youth who could use guidance planning for their futures. Completing the Request below will initiate a Consent Form for the student’s Social Worker (city agency worker) to approve Coaching Services. Services will not begin until the social worker approves and returns the consent form.
Pathways- Independent Living Program
Pathways is a year-round program designed to empower high school youth (grades 9–12) with the academic, social, and career skills necessary for lifelong success. The program includes monthly Saturday Academies during the school year as well as a 3 week long immersive college experience during the summer.
Extracurricular Activities
We support foster children’s participation in activities, including sports, fitness, the arts and other social activities that will enrich their childhoods, provide stress relief and enhance participation in the community.
YMCA Family Memberships
We partner with the YMCA to provide memberships to foster youth and their families. Open Enrollment for new membership is held quarterly: March 1 -20, June 1-20, September 1-20 and December 1-20.
Driver Education
We provide funding to help foster youth obtain their driver’s license. This includes in-class and behind the wheel training. Please request Driver Education Services using the form below.
Emergency Needs
We offer support to children in their time of need, by providing financial assistance for immediate and extraordinary needs that are not funded by IV-E, CSA or Medicaid. All Emergency Needs Requests should be submitted through your child’s social worker.
Camperships
We send foster children to summer camps, with a particular focus on sending siblings who are placed in separate homes or are outside of foster care to camp together! The 2027 camp season applications open on March 1st!
Caregiver Training
TFFC is now offering a pilot program to train caregivers of foster youth.
Art Competitions
Is the youth in your home an artist, photographer, or wordsmith? It is currently our Art From the Heart competition time! Your youth can submit their art, poetry, or other written work to win Amazon gift cards!
We also have a competition to design a coffee label for our coffee collaboration with Neptune’s Fury!
Volunteering
If you, your community group, or someone you know would like to volunteer with TFFC, please click below.
Current TFFC Service Region
TFFC currently serves foster youth whose court case is held in the highlighted counties, as well as youth receiving services from select therapeutic foster care agencies including: Impact Living Services, Fostering Acadia, Commonwealth Catholic Charities, StepStone Youth Services, enCircle, Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, and Children’s Home Society of Virginia.
We also serve at-risk youth who are not in foster care but have open CPS cases in the cities of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Franklin, and Isle of Wight county.
If the foster youth in your home’s county/city of custody is not a current TFFC partner, but you would like to receive services, please forward our information to your youth’s DSS case worker. They can contact us at office@friendsoffostercare.org to pursue a service agreement.
