JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jessica and Chelsea Griffith had been thinking for quite some time that something was missing in their lives.
“We felt like we had the capacity in our home and in our hearts and in our lives to grow and expand our family,” Jessica said.
On a Sunday afternoon in 2021, they took one of the biggest leaps any couple could make.
“And then that next day, we were making phone calls,” Jessica said.
A few months later, a girl named Lillyann came into the Griffith home, but that was only the start.
“They called and they asked, ‘Would you be open to fostering a second? You’ve been fostering one for a while, you’re comfortable,’” Chelsea said.
Not only did they take in a second child, but a third and a fourth member joined the family: Carson, Carter and LJ.
The couple made their family permanent when they adopted all four children this past December.
“Our kids are just so magnetic,” Jessica said. “They walk into a room and they get to know everybody before we do. Our neighbors know us now; they didn’t before because of our kids.”
This match was made possible by the organization Daniel Kids in Jacksonville, Florida’s oldest child-serving agency.
John Rivera, lead licensing specialist at Daniel Kids, dedicates his time to therapeutic foster care. He shares that the numbers are trending in the wrong direction.
Data from Florida Health Charts tracks foster care numbers from 2004 to the most recent data in 2023.
For children under the age of 18 in 2023, Duval County had a rate of 589.5 per 100,000. The Florida state average was 482.8 per 100,000.
Duval is now outpacing the entire state’s average for children in foster care, with a total count of 1,366 children in 2023.
“The one thing we hope to get out of this is that the more foster parents equals the more homes available to some of these kids who need it,” Rivera said. “Whether it’s the Griffiths’ tale or many others within our foster care program, you’re going to get a truly rewarding experience.”
When it comes to fostering, the Griffiths admit that challenges will occur.
When they first welcomed Lillyann, she had barriers to overcome.
“It’s so hard when you’re so little, and you have such big emotions. We didn’t even know if she was going to be able to get through kindergarten,” Chelsea said. “And here she is, on A/B Honor Roll, playing soccer and doing really well outside. We can trust her.”
Daniel Kids emphasizes that there is no pressure to become a foster family; it’s only for those who feel their home is ready.
The process to become a foster parent includes attending an orientation, completing educational resource hours, undergoing a child abuse and fingerprint-based criminal background check, a home inspection, and a home study to review readiness for fostering.
If you’re interested in donating to Daniel Kids, you can do so in person at 4203 Southpoint Blvd., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
They request new items or gently used items such as strollers, pack-and-plays, baby gates and electronics.
