Columbia County

Become a foster parent in Columbia County

We are so happy you are exploring how to become a foster parent with us. There are many foster children in Columbia County and the surrounding area in need of a loving home. We have foster families in towns such as Columbus, Poynette, Wisconsin Dells, and Portage and we are always in need of more loving foster homes with flexible schedules.

John and Brittany live in Columbia county and were licensed in the summer of 2019. Within two weeks of getting their license, they accepted the placement of a young sibling pair. Their 4-year-old son was top of mind when they accepted their first placement. Rest assured, CCR staff goes to great lengths to make sure that younger children already in the family will be safe from any past trauma behaviors coming into the home. John and Brittany feel that the sibling pair and their son have done extremely well together.

CCR foster families accept a variety of children based on their license level and the level of care of a child. All new CCR foster parents begin their journey as a level 2 (basic) foster home, just like you would with Columbia County. Level 2 kids come with a variety of needs and trauma and have experienced neglect and/or abuse. With time and experience, foster parents may choose to move to level 3 or 4, treatment foster care, to care for children with heightened behaviors and emotions due to significant trauma.

What is the difference between CCR and county agencies like Columbia?

• Weekly in-home support visits and school visits.
• 24/7 Helpline so you can speak with a CCR case manager within minutes, after hours.
• All CCR case managers have a master's degree in Social Work.
• A 15-year average length of employment among CCR case managers.
• Trauma-informed care training before and during your foster care journey.
• Maximum of 15 kids allowed on each case worker's caseload.

If you are interested in younger children, we request that you are open to helping children up to age 10. Of course, our greatest need is homes for teens but we place all ages and all sizes of sibling groups too. It is okay to have a preference for the age group you wish to help.

Both Brittany and John work full-time but have enough flexibility in their weekly schedules to meet the needs of the kids and attend all necessary appointments. We are grateful they chose CCR and are so happy that their first placement has worked out so well for everyone.

If you qualify to be a foster parent and can provide love and stability to children, we would love to speak with you. We encourage you to explore our website and find many answers to the important questions about Wisconsin foster care you may have.