Why Choose AASK

Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1988 with a mission to ensure that every child has someone who cares. We are the largest agency solely focused on ensuring a better life for Arizona’s foster children, with an ultimate goal of making it unnecessary to place children in congregate care.

AASK’s resources are focused on recruiting, training and supporting families to help Arizona’s children through adoption, foster care and mentoring. We understand and are familiar with the challenges that children face in foster care.

AASK is contracted by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) and licenses foster families in Maricopa, Pinal and Gila Counties. There are more than 330 licensed AASK families caring for more than 530 foster children. In 2011, Arizona foster children spent 191,000 nights living in AASK foster homes instead of congregate care. And, through AASK’s efforts, more than 1,900 children now have permanent adoptive homes.

Because not every child has the same needs, AASK has developed programs that serve targeted populations of foster children, such as teens, Latinos, Native Americans and children with developmental disabilities or specialized medical needs. AASK has extensive experience recruiting and supporting the dedicated families who want to make a difference for Arizona’s diverse group of foster kids.

We employ a full-time nurse to assist with families caring for medically fragile infants or children with special medical needs. We have a full staff of bilingual family specialists available to work with Spanish-speaking families, and we offer training and educational resources at two locations to better serve the Valley. We have a very successful kinship foster care program that focuses on helping families caring for a relative’s child become licensed foster care providers.

AASK also operates the only state-contracted mentoring program in Arizona focused on recruiting, training and supporting mentors to help youth in foster care. AASK provides foster youth and their mentors the necessary education, support and resources to be successful.

If you are interested in helping a child in foster care, please take the next steps to learn more.

• learn more...
  

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• about adoption
• about foster care
• about kinship foster care
• family support
• about mentoring
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