Autumn's Story
Kinship care has shaped my life since 1991. At first, it felt natural-something you do for family or close friends, an instincive act of love and responsibility. But in 2018, when my daughter asked me to care for my grandchildren, I quickly realized tha aising relative cjildren is far more complicated than raising your own. I came face-to-face with the unique challenges kin care carry-challenges rooted in trauma, insecurity, and broken trust. Through this experience, I discovered a sobering truth: these children, though deeply loved, often come to us as scared, overwhelmed, and struggling to connect with the word around them. When my granddaughter Autumn entered my care, she was just four years old. But her journey had already been filled with hardship. Due to traumatic experiences, the courts determined that Autumn and her brothers could never live in the same house again. It was a heartbreaking reality. Autumn spent time in foster care until her aunt and uncle adopted her. By then, she had already endured more than any child should. The weight of those experiences was heavy-she became painfully shy, insecure and introverted. Overwhelmed by the simplest of social interactions, she often cried, uncertain of how to navigate the word around her. ​Her breakthrough came when she made a life-changing connection with a school administrator who saw her, truly saw her. For the first time, Autumn felt valued and understood. With that connection came the safety to open up and grow, showing me the incredible potential of children when they are surrounded by love and trust. Research suggests that unconditional love can be a powerful force for psychological well-being and healing, often surpassing the effectiveness of many traditional psychological interventions. Autumn's story proves just how transformative that love can be. With nurturing support, she began to thrive. SHe earned a spot in the Merit Scholar program, finished first in a statewide reading competition, became Dancer of the Year, earned scholarships and joined a competitive dance team. Today, she's a role model for younger children, a proud big sister, and a helper to her aunt and uncle. Autumn's story is a testament to the power of connection and unconditional love-and to the fact that no child should be defined by their circumstances. Yet, not all children are as fortunate. Autumn's success highlights a much larger issue: the majority of kin-kids in the system are struggling. An estimated 90% of children in care  have experienced some form of trauma, toxic stress, or adversity. These children often don't trust adults, and as a result, they develop challenging behaviors and struggle to form healthy connections. Even more troubling, 95% of public funding is spent addressing mental health crises after they occur, leaving prevention efforts severely underfunded. That's where Kids-Kinection comes in! Autumn's story is proof that trauma does not have to define children-unconditional love and connection can transform them. That is the heart of kinship care: stepping up, providing love when it's hardest, and helping children discover that they are more than their pasts. With Kids-Kinection, we're not just supporting children-we're building bridges to a brighter future where every kin-kid has the chance to gro, succeed and belong.
Kin Kids who have experienced adversity, trauma, or toxic stress often struggle to trust caring adults, leading to challenging behaviors and difficulty forming connections.
Our Mission
Our mission is to nurture Kin Kids by giving them the support and tools they need to build meaningful relationships. Through our interactive enrichment programs, we create a safe, loving, and regulated environment for children ages 3-12, ensuring they feel seen, valued and cared for as they work through their challenges. We believe in the healing power of unconditional love and connection, providing children with the opportunity to thrive just as Autumn did.
Our Vision
Our vision is simple yet powerful: a world where every Kin Kid has the relationships and community they need to succeed. Through our evidence-based programs and a strong, commissioned network of caregivers, educators, and mentors, we are creating spaces where children feel secure and cherished. When children are nurtured and supported, their futures become limitless, just like Autumns's.
Our Values
Nurturing
A lot of these kids haven’t been provided love from their bio parents, they need more of it than anything else. We strive to provide a supportive environment for growth and healing, where every child can feel loved and appreciated. [Enforce] We will emphasize the importance of nurturing with every new volunteer, employee, and partner.
Respect
Young people are used to being disrespected, we treat each child as an individual worth respecting. We honor the dignity and worth of each child and caregiver. We have a clear code of conduct on how to treat our kids and follow it rigorously.
Hard-Working
Kin Kids need our hands on attention, so they need someone who isn’t afraid to get on the ground and work. There are many times where they will need after hours help. We are unafraid to work hard to meet these kids’ needs for connections. Our expectations will be clearly laid out in a contract prior to employment or volunteering.
Safety
The kids we work with are sensitive and triggered easily, so maintaining the psychological safety of our environment is critical. We will vet all potential volunteers and employees through a background check before allowing them to work with the kids.
Idealism
We have to believe that these children can find healing. We believe in the best for all our kids and avoid talking negatively about them in and away from their presence.
Patience
Our children are not numbers, and need time to learn and grow. We will work with each individual child at their own pace, not the pace of our funders and partners. We will be flexible with a child’s developmental goals based on the child’s background, we commit to outcomes, not timelines.