Learn About Special Needs and Foster Care

During this 90-minute event, we are proud to have the DCFS Medical Director, Dr. Margaret Scotellaro, join us to talk about children in care who have specialized needs and need families to care for them. As always, we will also have a Let It Be Us Foster Care Expert and a Seasoned Foster Parent to talk about specialized foster care licenses, what it means to be a foster parent to a child with specialized needs, from Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy to Autism and complex medical needs.  You will also learn about the role that Let It Be Us plays including how to join our Licensing Support and Placement Support programs.

• This event is free and open to the public
• Access to this event is completely virtual
• Registration for this event is required
• During the event, attendees will have the opportunity for question & answer

About Dr. Margaret Scotellaro

Margaret Scotellaro is a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Rush University Children’s Hospital and is the Medical Director for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois in Urbana and completed her medical degree, pediatric residency, and chief residency at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Scotellaro is board certified in General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics with special interests in foster care, child advocacy, and youth with special healthcare needs.
Margaret and her husband, who is also a pediatrician, became foster parents in 2002 in Nevada and obtained their medically specialized license in Illinois in 2004. They are parents to 5 amazing children, 4 of whom are adopted through foster care, including their youngest daughter with Down Syndrome.