Sibling House is dedicated not only to providing a haven for children, but also to raising the public awareness of, and to help contribute to the education of, the general populace about foster care and the entire foster care system. This includes identifying, and providing support, through our Mentoring and Outreach Program to other foster homes that provide care to siblings in foster care, essentially, more "Sibling House(s)". Typically, 40% of foster parents quit the program during the first year. The primary reasons are the financial burden, and frustration at working with the system. Sibling House can assist in these areas as well as many others. Providing food, clothing, furnishings, access to enrichment programs, and even passing on vehicles that have been donated to Sibling House can help to lessen the financial impact of providing care to foster children.

The combined experience of the founders of Sibling House, and veteran foster parents from the Sibling House Network, can assist both new foster parents, as well as foster parents willing to take sibling groups. By sharing our knowledge, perseverance, and access to other resources, we can help to alleviate many of the fears, frustrations, and feelings of "no one knows what I'm going through". Often knowing that there is a source that can appreciate the challenges of foster care, and offer concrete, working, solutions to those challenges, will help foster families to thrive and grow. The end result is more families remain in the system and available to children in foster care.

Studies show that nearly 50% of children in foster care fail to graduate from high school. With all of the trauma and uncertainty these children have faced, it is no surprise that there is little incentive for them to focus on their education. Without a high school degree, there is little hope that they will become self-sustaining adults.

Inspired by this realization, Project Sheltering Tree was born.

Project Sheltering Tree provides academic advocacy for foster children in the Sibling House Network. Tutoring for grades K through 12 is offered to children that are struggling to reach grade level standards in all subjects. Tutors work in partnership with homeroom and special education teachers and foster parents to advocate for the needs of the child to compliment the programs already in place.

In addition to support for the children, Project Sheltering Tree provides advocacy for care givers in the form of guidance, support, and mentoring. PST works on educating foster parents on specialized needs in the confusing world of Individualized Education Plans, 504 Plans, and modified expectations for the child.

Project Sheltering Tree started in 2006 on a trial basis with one child receiving tutoring twice a month. This student was below grade level at the beginning of the school year. Through tutoring and teacher accommodations, he was brought up to grade level by the end of the school year. Since then we have been able to supply tutoring services to more than 12 foster children in our network and countless others have recieved school supplies and books. Additionally, we have started a collection of curriculum with resources primarily geared towards reading, writing and math. We will continue to build our collection to support grades K-12 with appropriate material to assist tutors, students, and care givers in making the gains necessary to bridge the academic gaps and ultimately graduate from high school.

This is just the beginning of what Project Sheltering Tree envisions for foster children and their futures. As funding increases, we are able to advocate for more children in need. The exponential growth is within our reach. You can help make a difference in the future of foster children with a donation to Project Sheltering Tree.

If you would like to make a donation to Project Sheltering Tree, please click on the Donate Now link and type PST in the questions/comments section.

The Transition Program focuses on easing the trauma of transitioning into an adoptive family or the return to the birth family. Prospective adoptive parents visit with adoptive siblings at Sibling House in a supervised environment. The purpose of these visits is to aid the children in making the move back to the birth home, or to the adopting family, less stressful and to evaluate if the match between siblings and adoptive families is a good "fit". Adoptive families often need mentoring as well. We also work to ease the transition from Sibling House homes, and the bonds created there while in care, into the new home as smooth as possible.

The Outdoor Experience Program focuses on offering the children of the Sibling House Network the many natural beauties and experiences of the Pacific Northwest. We travel to the mountains, the ocean, the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound, as well as Eastern Washington, to camp, explore, and fully experience recreational activities in which foster children have never had the chance to participate. These recreational activities are the things that create lifetime memories and help the children to appreciate the natural resources available in our part of the country.