At Let It Be Us, our mission is to inspire foster care and adoption in Illinois. Our following is comprised of foster and adoptive parents, and we have personally and professionally seen a multitude of families formed by adoption from foster care. In Illinois, we rank very low at achieving permanency and adoption for our waiting children, and this hits at the core of our mission, as we all want strong outcomes for the children we serve. At Let It Be Us we have designed multiple programs that improve outcomes for children in Illinois foster care. Through the month of November, which is National Adoption Awareness Month, you’ll see us blanket social media as we recruit new parents and help already licensed parents discover new parenting opportunities. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

We begin the month with a celebration with Vin Chicago, hosted by owner and Let It Be Us Board Member Peter Schwarzbach, Vin Sommelier Mike Baker, with a fabulous and exclusive wine tasting on line, Tuesday, November 5, at 7:00pm.  We will be tasting two specially selected wines for the evening – one red and one white.  As a special surprise, one of the wines is intertwined in an adoption story!  Learn more and register on our Events page. 

Join us on Tuesday, November 17, at 7:00pm on Zoom for Foster Care #101 – our 18th virtual event since the beginning of the pandemic!  We will be sharing all of our information on Illinois foster care and adoption – with the goal of recruiting new foster parents.  This event will be very special as it will feature children’s profiles from the Illinois Waiting Children’s Gallery – children in need of homes. Register now to reserve your seat on our Events page. 

Humans of Adoption is our exclusive social media campaign featuring foster care and adoption stories that are true, tender-hearted and inspiring. Follow us throughout the month as we feature photographs, stories and quotes on Facebook and Instagram.  Please like, comment, and share to help us share the good news about foster care and adoption. 

At Let It Be Us we have designed multiple programs that every day improve outcomes for children in Illinois foster care. 

The Let It Be Us Programs

Targeted Recruitment Program

The Let It Be Us Targeted Recruitment Program’s experienced recruitment team offers a customized solution for each caseworker in a speedy and timely manner. Let It Be Us utilizes their aggregated registry of licensed and waiting parents and our free subscription-based platforms reaching thousands of licensed and unlicensed parents while targeting specific locations and demographics. We utilize our data portal which is cloud-based for protection and yet is shareable. Through this Program, Let It Be Us assists caseworkers in serving children who primarily are in emergent need or who are challenging to place, giving caseworkers access to parents who are licensed, waiting, and interested in the make-up of that specific child.  Licensed parents may join our registry here.   Caseworkers may request assistance by completing our Let It Be Us form here.   

Foster and Adoptive Parent Recruitment Events

While our Recruitment Team usually hosts large and small events throughout Illinois, primarily in the Chicagoland Area as well as the Northern Region, to directly recruit foster and adoptive parents for waiting Illinois children, we have shifted to hosting Zoom Webinars during COVID-19 times.  We have just hosted our 17th Zoom Webinar since the pandemic began!  Over 700 individual households have attended our webinars learning from our experienced licensing staff as well as our special guests experienced in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We are quickly growing our audience of families interested in obtaining a foster care license!  You can learn more about these events here.   

Foster Care Licensing Coaching Program

Obtaining a foster care license can be complicated and difficult.  Our Foster Care Licensing Coaching Program helps individuals and families reach their foster care licensing goals and reach them faster. Our team offers years of Illinois child welfare experience, years of Illinois foster care licensing experience and all of our coaches have a Rule 402 Certification. Our Foster Care Licensing Coaching Program is free and virtual.  You can learn more by completing this form: https://family.binti.com/users/signup/let-it-be-us-initial

The Waiting Children’s  Gallery  

Let It Be Us produces and curates our “Waiting Children’s Gallery” that we use to recruit parents for children in need, including those in emergent need and those who are challenging to place. Our Gallery is visited by thousands each week and has proven to provide families and better outcomes for the children we serve. For each child there is an opportunity for families to complete an application form and that form is shared directly with the child’s caseworker. Anyone may view the gallery here. Caseworkers and Investigators are welcome to learn more about our Gallery – as well as our Targeted Recruitment Program – and use this as a resource here.

“Wednesday’s Children of Illinois” – A Let It Be Us Publication 

“Wednesday’s Children of Illinois” is a Let It Be Us publication that features children in need of foster and/or pre-adoptive homes. This digital publication is a digital recruitment tool and a child specific recruitment tool. This publication is emailed to thousands of foster parents and waiting foster parents each week. It does not include any identifying information, yet provides caseworkers in need with licensed and waiting families who are interested in learning more about the specific children they are trying to place. Read  “Wednesday’s Children of Illinois” and subscribe to this publication here. 

The Let It Be Us Initiatives

Direct Support Program 

Let It Be Us has been given private funding to provide for the needs of children in foster care, especially for those in homes struggling with unemployment and financial issues during this time of crisis.  Funds for chrome books, tutoring, on-line training classes, educational materials, and basic necessities are important now more than ever.  Our goal is to provide for these children and to support these families to maintain their wellbeing. Case Managers, CASA’s, and those in similar positions may apply by using this form.

Our Closet – Supporting Children Coming Into Foster Care 

Let It Be Us provides and manages inventory for “Our Closet” in the Waukegan DCFS Office, stocking it with every item a child coming into foster care would need, including new winter coats, hats, mittens, diapers, formula, diapers, wipes, pajamas, underwear, socks, nonperishable snacks, and more. All agencies in the Northern Region of Illinois have access to “Our Closet.”