Become A Foster Parent In Winchester, VA
In Winchester , every child deserves someone who believes in them.
Explore how your kindness, care, and community spirit can help a child feel safe, valued, and at home.
About Winchester
Winchester, Virginia, nestled within the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley, is a beautiful city with a population of about 28,000. Known for its historic charm and attractive surroundings, Winchester boasts attractions like Old Town Winchester, a pedestrian friendly area filled with unique shops, restaurants, and historic landmarks. The city is home to the annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, which celebrates community spirit with parades, concerts, and family friendly activities. Winchester's combination of natural beauty and rich history makes it an appealing place to call home.
For foster families, Winchester offers a caring and resourceful environment. Over 35 foster children in the region currently need safe and nurturing homes, and local services are actively working to address this need. The Winchester Department of Social Services, in partnership with organizations like CASA of the Northern Shenandoah Valley and FosterVA, provides training, financial assistance, and emotional support to foster families. These programs aim to equip caregivers with the tools and resources necessary to provide stable, loving environments for children in care. Consider helping a child in need in Winchester, and become a foster parent today!
Winchester’s family friendly atmosphere is a key draw for foster families. Outdoor spaces like Jim Barnett Park offer playgrounds, sports facilities, and trails for children to explore, while attractions like the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum provide hands on learning experiences. Community events, including seasonal farmers' markets and holiday parades, create opportunities for families to connect and enjoy shared moments. The city's schools and after school programs also provide a strong foundation for educational growth and development.
Winchester’s commitment to community wellbeing and its range of family focused amenities make it a great place for foster families. With a supportive network of services, educational resources, and engaging activities, the city creates an environment where foster children and their caregivers can build meaningful relationships and thrive together. Start your journey to becoming a foster parent!
Why Choose FosterVA
FosterVA is a campaign started by Extra Special Parents (a licensed child placing agency) to raise awareness of Virginia’s need for great foster families, especially in Winchester . Great foster parents make a difference in a youth’s ability to develop resiliency, which allows them to survive and thrive with the right support.
We have a support group that meets monthly for all foster families and respite care for yourself. Our support includes Individual clinical case managers and a crisis line manned 24/7/365. These tried and tested systems are put in place to ensure you and the child are supported during this journey as a foster parent.
Can I foster a child in Winchester ?
Find out if you qualify to become a foster parent! Becoming a foster parent is a challenging and enriching experience for you and all family members. You can make a huge difference and change a child's life for the better, especially for sibling groups and older children in foster care programs. If you care about children and want to help them, fostering a child is an extraordinary calling.
Children in the foster care system have been through traumatic experiences. They need a loving home to help them recover and thrive. Providing a home for a child can be heartwarming and beautiful when you start to see them succeed in your care. If you have the heart and a home for a child in Winchester , VA please contact us to learn more about our process.
Our parents come from all works of life, and your work and life experience will enhance what you bring to being a foster parent. So please never think that your life experience is unsuitable for a child in foster care, with nearly 5000 kids in the Virginia Department of social services care. We will find a child that will be great for you or your family.
Start the process today to become a Foster Parent
Family Friendly Events and Places of Interest
Abram's Delight
“Abram’s Delight”, the site of five generations of the prominent Hollingsworth family covering 200 years, has a story of its own.When Abraham Hollingsworth came to the Valley circa 1728, he was exploring, with the intention of finding a spot to build a home for his family and to establish a mill to supplement his income as a farmer. On this spot, he found the answer to his requirements – fertile land and an ample water supply.
Jim Barnett Park
Spend a day at Jim Barnett Park and enjoy time in solitude or with friends and family. Our main park campus offers a par course fitness trail consisting of 18 exercise stations, paved walking trail with benches and story walk, playgrounds, and picnic pavilions with charcoal grills. The main park also includes horseshoe courts, a fishing lake, athletic fields, pickleball courts, a BMX track, dog park, and seasonal outdoor pool.
Kernstown Battlefield and Pritchard House
In 1996, the Kernstown Battlefield Association was formed as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation whose mission was to acquire, preserve and interpret the Pritchard-Grim Farm as an historic resource.
The KBA benefits from the generosity and support of our members and supporters. We remain a not-for-profit association and as such are able to pass along to our benefactors the tax advantages of contributing to a non-profit association such as oursMuseum of the Shenandoah Valley
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) is dedicated to preserving and enriching the cultural life and heritage of the Valley. This regional history complex includes a house dating to the eighteenth century, six acres of spectacular gardens, and a 50,000-square-foot museum featuring changing exhibitions, a permanent display of miniature houses, and an expansive gallery exploring the history and decorative arts of the Shenandoah Valley.
Old Town Winchester Walking Mall
Come enjoy a wonderful meal on the 2-block Walking Mall at one of 20+ local restaurants, visit our unique shops, enjoy a cup of coffee at one of our 4 coffee shops or a craft beer at one of our 4 breweries. Two historic museums, a children's museum, and a public splash pad all accentuate your experience. Ample street, lot and garage parking is available.
Patsy Cline Historic Hous
The Patsy Cline Historic House, Patsy Cline’s home, is esteemed throughout the world as a perpetual physical testament to the country girl destined for fame. Guided Tours of the Patsy Cline Historic House illuminate her genius and impending success, and is a reminder of her youthful exuberance and determination. The Historic House embodies her spirit and signifies her "hometown" roots. It is where she got her start, often returned, and found her final resting place at nearby Shenandoah Memorial Park
Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum
Located in the heart of downtown Winchester, the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum occupies the historic Frederick County Courthouse. This Greek-revival courthouse was built in 1840 and was used as a hospital, a prison, and a barracks during the Civil War. Many prisoners left their names and other graffiti on the walls, much of which is still visible today including the remarkable "Curse to Jeff Davis"
Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum
Our mission at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum is to ignite creativity, spark curiosity and inspire learning in visitors ages birth to 10 and their families by providing a rich variety of interactive, hands-on exhibits and programs! Exhibits, activities and programs are interactive, participatory and informal, and give visitors opportunities to experiment, have fun playing, use their imaginations and share ideas. The Museum works in a spirit of cooperation and partnership with educational, cultural, governmental and community organizations.
Virginia Farm Market
The Virginia Farm Market is known for seasonal fruit, local produce and quality baked goods! This fourth generation business offers up the sweetest summer peaches, tasty vine-ripened tomatoes, local sweet corn and of course apples! We have worked with many area growers, for literally decades, to ensure we have the best local produce possible for customers.
Washington's Office Museum
George Washington’s Office Museum is housed in an eighteenth-century structure on an elevated section of ground in the heart of historic downtown Winchester. Currently there is no accessibility for the disabled to either the museum or its grounds
