Second Nurture

Second Nurture is a new and pioneering initiative that seeks to radically increase the number of families who choose to foster and adopt waiting children and teens. Second Nurture partners with communities to recruit and retain families to foster and adopt by forming cohorts of willing potential parents, creates networks of support for these families that utilize both community members and local agencies, and incorporates foster and adoptive themes into community culture. \n\nThis combination of support networks and cultural enrichment provides newly formed Second Nurture families and their children with a community that sees, supports, and reflects them.

Second Nurture's model has three main components:
1) Formation of Cohorts: A pre-program survey is sent out to community members to connect with people already involved in foster care and adoption, and to discover those who may be interested. This survey also introduces Second Nurture and our approach. We gauge interest in the adoption of *waiting* children in the context of group and community support as we learn what it would take to prompt and encourage involvement. Open meetings are held for community members interested in becoming part of a Second Nurture family, and/or in building a support network for them. Community leadership is integral to the recruitment of families. These leaders are expected to encourage community membership to consider foster/adoption, to open channels of communication between Second Nurture and community membership, and to integrate Second Nurture's mission and values into community events.
2) Networks of Support: Even as we form the initial cohort, we work to cultivate networks of support on two fronts within the community itself, and with agencies in the larger locale. Through regular meetings, at events, and via community newsletters, we educate the community about children waiting for families and the Second Nurture program. We also identify and recruit community members who have relevant foster and adoption experience and/or relevant expertise (i.e., social workers, educators, foster or adoptive parents, etc.) to support the cohort.
3) Cultural Enrichment: A fundamental aspect of Second Nurture and what really sets us apart is helping communities demystify fostering and adoption by incorporating foster and adoption concepts into the fabric of their community. In consultation with psychological and educational experts, we created a series of resources for a community leaders, educators, and other interested members to help them integrate fostering and adoption into their community values, traditions, and rituals.

Second Nurture was founded in 2016 by Rabbi Susan Silverman, a parent of two adopted children. Since then, Susan has engaged a wide range of thought partners, policy makers, practitioners, and foster and adoptive parents and children to evaluate and inform her community-based, cultural enrichment model. Susan has also met with communities around the nation to measure interest in the model. After three years of strategic learning, meeting with dozens of communities, and much planning and experimentation, Second Nurture rolled out its approach in three US pilot communities to form the foundation for scaling our model.\nWe have a team that includes a Board of Directors with 10 members, 4 paid staff and one volunteer that make the organization strong.

In collaboration with the Dave Thomas Foundation and other thought leaders nationwide, we are testing and refining our model. We have a diversified local and national fundraising strategy through government, foundation, individual and corporate investments, leveraging the support of early adopters to inspire others. In 2019, we launched pilot sites with Wilshire Boulevard Temple to adopt children from the Los Angeles foster system and also the Harmony Project to mentor Columbus foster children in group homes. In 2020, we expanded our work in LA to five more synagogues. We are excited to report that in Los Angeles, eight families have already welcomed children into their homes from foster care, five of whom have adopted.