Thousands of Arizona children need families now; who will step up?

Caitlin Sageng

Submitted photo/Child Crisis Arizona

If you’ve ever thought, ‘I could do that. I could love a child who needs a family,’ don’t push the thought aside. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. The perfect moment will never come, but the opportunity to change a child’s life is here now.”

Every day in Arizona, thousands of children wake up without the stability of a permanent family. They are cared for in foster homes, group settings or by relatives doing their best, but what these children long for most is belonging and the kind of unconditional love that comes with being part of a forever family. And yet, too many people who could provide that love keep waiting.

They wait until they feel “more prepared.” They wait until their finances feel perfect, until their house feels big enough, until they have more free time, or until their own children are “old enough.” While those are all reasonable considerations, the truth is this: If you have love to give, the time to step forward is now.

That’s what Arianna did. She had always dreamed of getting married and having a two-parent household like the one she grew up in, but when she watched some friends adopt a child from the foster care system, she realized there are kids who need a family now and she knew she had love to give as a foster mother.

“I thought, what am I waiting for?” she said. It took several months of planning and training but when the call came, she moved quickly to welcome a baby girl into her home. Although the situation was temporary, Arianna instantly knew she loved her.

“I always told myself I would do whatever was best for her,” she shared. “I knew reunification was the priority, but I also knew I was the constant rock in her life.”

Adoption and foster care are not about being a perfect parent. They’re about being a present parent. Children in the foster care system have already endured instability. What they need to overcome that rough beginning is caring, committed adults willing to show up for them, day after day, with patience and love. You don’t need a flawless house, a bursting bank account or a perfect life to foster or adopt. You simply need the willingness to open your heart and your home.

As of July 2025, there were more than 7,200 children in foster care in the state. More than 700 are living in a group home and more than 1,400 have a case plan goal of adoption. While most families approach adoption with the idea of adopting a baby, the biggest need is for families who will welcome an older child or a set of siblings. These children all come into the system through no fault of their own and the longer they wait, the harder it becomes to find a stable home for them.

When you talk to adoptive parents, you rarely hear them say, “We were perfectly ready.” What you hear instead is, “We wish we hadn’t waited so long.” They’ll tell you about the joy of first days and first holidays, about the milestones of watching a child feel safe enough to be silly. For Arianna, who did have the opportunity to adopt, it’s the little moments.

“Now she is a rambunctious toddler and every time she gives me a hug — I will forgive all fifteen tantrums with that one hug,” she said. “Sometimes we are driving and she will ask for my hand to hold. It’s very soothing for her. I just realize how connected we are.”

If you’ve ever thought, “I could do that. I could love a child who needs a family,” don’t push the thought aside. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. The perfect moment will never come, but the opportunity to change a child’s life is here now.

Foster care is a naturally flawed system, and adoption is not without its challenges. Healing from trauma takes time, and families need support and resources to thrive. But what outweighs the challenges are the moments of connection, of healing and of growth for both parent and child. Choosing to open your home to a child is choosing to believe that love, stability and belonging can transform a child’s future.

And that kind of love doesn’t just change the life of one child. It changes generations. When you foster or adopt, you rewrite a story. You turn uncertainty into stability, fear into hope and loneliness into belonging. You create a legacy that extends far beyond your own lifetime.

So if you have room at your table, room in your heart, and room in your life, don’t wait. Take the step. Make the call. Start the process. November is National Adoption Month. Children are waiting, and they don’t need perfect parents. They need you.

Editor’s note: Caitlin Sageng is senior program director at Mesa-based nonprofit Child Crisis Arizona. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to azopinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.