💛 Free Forever · No Jargon · Real Answers

She shows up.Every time.

Free tools, real answers, and local resources for everyone navigating the foster care system — from first placement to aging out.

Access Letter Vault Ask Aunt Nancy

391K+

Youth in US
foster care

50

States with
local resources

100%

Free tools &
templates

20K

youth age out of US foster care each year without support

Annie E. Casey · 2025

Extended care states see 34% better housing stability at age 21

CDC · 2025

ACEs prevalence in child welfare youth — updated estimates

UCLA Luskin · 2025

CA foster youth housing outcomes at 24 — 5yr study

Community Wall

The Aunt Nancys

Mostly women who take on nurturing, guiding & protective roles for younger people in our families, communities & beyond. Tag the woman who showed up for you.

The Original Aunt Nancys

Los Angeles, California

"Mostly women who take on nurturing, guiding, and protective roles for younger people in our families, communities, and beyond. This site is dedicated to all of them."

— AuntNancy.org, 2026

… Aunt Nancys honored · … cities represented · Growing every day

Loading the wall…

🎥 From the Community

Watch & learn

View all videos →

Loading…

Foster Youth · Ages 12–21

This space is
for you.

You didn't choose this system — but you deserve straight answers about what you're owed, where you can go, and who has your back.

Get Letter Templates Ask Aunt Nancy

AB 12

Stay in care
past 18

$5K

ETV grants
per year

Age 26

Medi-Cal
continues

Today's Reminder

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

— A.A. Milne

What Youth Are Saying

"Didn't know I could stay past 18. I'm 19 and still in AB 12 because of this page."

Marcus T. · Oakland, CA

"Asked Aunt Nancy about my rights at 3am and got a real answer. Game changer."

Anonymous · Los Angeles, CA

"Finally understood what Chafee money is and how to apply."

Destiny R. · San Diego, CA

Your Private Journal

Stays on your device only.

🔒 Private

What is one thing you're proud of about yourself today?

🎥 Watch

Videos for foster youth

View all videos →

Loading videos…

Your Rights

Know what you're owed.

WIC §16001.9 — your rights in plain language
AB 12 — stay in care past 18 in California
ETV, Cal Grant B, Chafee — money made for you
Medi-Cal continues to age 26
THP-Plus housing after aging out

Access Free Templates →

Foster Parents

You showed up.
We'll show up for you.

The letters, checklists, and guides DCFS never handed you at placement — policy-cited, fill-in, and ready when you need them.

Get Letter Templates Ask Aunt Nancy

9

Letter
templates

72h

Placement
checklist

Free

Always
free

Today's Reminder

"You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself so you can take care of them."

— Foster care wisdom

📅 Appointments

Calendar & Reminders

Browser notifications at your chosen times.

Case Management

Placement Tracker

Private to your device — never shared.

Caregiver Journal

Private · stays on your device

🔒 Private

What's one win from this week, no matter how small?

💡 Today's Parenting Tip

"When a child tests boundaries, they're often asking 'Are you safe? Will you stay?' Consistency — calm, firm, present — is the answer."

What Foster Parents Are Saying

"Found the clothing allowance letter. DCFS approved it in 3 days."

Sarah M. · Los Angeles, CA

"The 72-hour checklist covered everything I didn't know to ask."

Keisha B. · Compton, CA

"Had a new placement at 10pm. Aunt Nancy helped me figure out school enrollment by morning."

Anonymous · Inglewood, CA

Letter Vault

All Templates

Policy-cited · fill-in · free

Clothing Allowance Request DCFS Policy 0900-506.10 Emergency Benefit Request WIC §11460 McKinney-Vento Enrollment Ed. Code §48853.5 CSW / SCSW Benefit Request DCFS Policy · WIC Placement Intake Checklist 72-hour · Free School Transportation Request Ed. Code §48853.5 BIRP Daily Log Interactive · Printable SCI Placement Tracker Level 2/3 scoring

→ View all templates in the Letter Vault

Kinship Caregivers

You didn't sign up.
You stepped up.

Kinship caregivers carry the weight of family, DCFS, and the courts — often without the same support as licensed foster parents. That ends here.

Get Letter Templates Ask Aunt Nancy

47%

Youth placed
with relatives

Less

Support vs
licensed

More

Than you
were told

Today's Reminder

"What you do for family is never lost. Every sacrifice, every showing up — it matters."

— Kinship caregiver wisdom

📅 Appointments

Calendar & Reminders

Browser notifications at your chosen times.

Case Management

Placement Tracker

Private to your device — never shared.

💡 Today's Tip

Children in kinship placements often grieve the loss of their immediate family even while living with relatives. Naming that grief openly is more helpful than avoiding it.

Kinship Journal

Private · stays on your device

🔒 Private

What's something you wish someone had told you before you stepped in?

What Kinship Caregivers Are Saying

"I'm grandma raising my grandkids through DCFS. Found kinship licensing here."

Anonymous · Riverside County, CA

"Nobody at DCFS told me what I was entitled to. This site did in 10 minutes."

Rosa M. · East LA, CA

"The guardianship vs. custody explainer was the clearest thing I've ever read."

Anonymous · San Bernardino, CA

Letter Vault

All Templates

Policy-cited · fill-in · free

CSW / SCSW Benefit Request Policy-cited · DCFS · WIC Clothing Allowance Request DCFS Policy 0900-506.10 Emergency Benefit Request WIC §11460 McKinney-Vento Enrollment Ed. Code §48853.5 Placement Intake Checklist 72-hour · Free BIRP Daily Log Interactive · Printable SCI Placement Tracker Level 2/3 scoring

→ View all templates in the Letter Vault

Social Workers & Advocates

Tools that work
as hard as you do.

Policy-aligned, clinically grounded, printable tools organized so you can find what you need fast — no paywall, no bad UX.

Access All Tools Ask Aunt Nancy

8+

Screening
instruments

BIRP

Daily log
tool

SCI

Auto-scoring
tracker

Clinical Tools

Everything you need. Free.

Full screening library: PHQ-A, SCARED, CRAFFT, GAD-7, C-SSRS, PCL-5, HEEADSSS, ACEs
SCI Level 2/3 placement criteria tracker — auto-scores
BIRP daily log — digital and print-ready
DCFS policy quick-reference with policy numbers
Full placement intake tracker with printable export

Professional Hub →

Screening Booklet — Ages 8–11

8 instruments · Printable · Free

→

Screening Booklet — Ages 12–21

Full clinical suite · Free

→

BIRP Daily Log — Interactive

Browser · Printable · Free

→

SCI Level 2/3 Tracker

Auto-scoring · Summary tab

→

Policy Quick-Reference Card

DCFS · Ed. Code · WIC

→

What Social Workers Are Saying

"The BIRP log and SCI tracker are now part of every placement decision I make."

Denise R. · San Diego County, CA

"Finally a policy reference I can pull up on my phone during a home visit."

James T. · LA County DCFS

"The screening booklets print clean and the families actually understand them."

Anonymous CSW · Orange County, CA

Template Library

The Letter Vault.

Policy-cited, fill-in letter templates — free with a free account.

✓ Free to access 🔐 Account required to download

AI-Powered · Updates Automatically

Policy Updates
That Never Go Stale.

Curated by Claude AI — local updates, state policy, federal law, research, and strategies for foster parents and caregivers.

Live updates ✨ Claude AI 📍 Localized

🎬 Policy Micro-Briefs

Coming

Soon

Products & Services

Every journal purchase funds free resources for foster youth, families, and social workers.

📓

This Is My Story

Ages 12–17 · Teen

$14.99

📒

My Little Story

Ages 6–11 · Kids

$12.99

Be the first to know.

Notify me when the products page launches.

Shop at Lellie.com →

Your Voice Shapes This Site

Tell us what you
actually need.

Every piece of feedback shapes what gets built next.

Share Your Experience

Takes 2 minutes. Your city and county help us build better local resources.

I am a...

State

County

Your Feedback

Anonymous?

Post anonymously

Community Wall

Real feedback from across the country.

Loading…

?

Welcome back

—

Member since —

📍 —

0

Placements

Active

0

Letters Sent

This session

0

Downloads

Total

100%

Always Free

No ads, no cost

Quick Access

👶

Placement Tracker

Case management tool

✉️

Letter Builder

Policy-cited · Printable

📋

Forms & Checklists

15 printable forms

📖

Policy Guide

Plain English · Your rights

Recent Downloads

${Object.entries(typeof LETTER_TYPES!=='undefined'?LETTER_TYPES:{}).map(([k,v])=>` `).join('')||'

'}

Placement Management

Youth-Centered Tools

Official DCFS Forms

🚨 LIC 624 — Unusual Incident Report 💊 LIC 9052 — Medication Log 📤 LIC 625 — Discharge Record 🏡 RFA 01A — Resource Family Application ⚖️ JV-220 — Request for Counsel 🆘 SS 8572 — Mandated Reporter Form

First Name

Last Name

Email

Role

State

City

Settings and preferences coming soon. Your data is stored securely in your browser and synced to your account via Supabase.

The Aunt Nancy Post

Daily wisdom from the foster care community · AI-curated · Community-written

📰

Loading today's edition…

← The Aunt Nancy Post AuntNancy.org

🎓 Caregiver Training Center

Learn what no one taught you.

Choose Your Training Plan

Invest in the children you care for

Free

$0

Free account required

✓ Intro articles for each topic
✓ 2–5 min intro videos
✓ Downloadable worksheets
✗ Assignments or certificates

Watch, learn, feel less alone.

Curated foster-care videos from FosterClub, Annie E. Casey Foundation, foster parents, kinship caregivers, and former foster youth.

🎬 Policy Micro-Briefs

Local Resources.

Every resource a child in foster care might need — by category, localized to your area. Community-contributed and community-rated.

🏛️ DCFS — Los Angeles County 📞 1-800-540-4000

State & National Resources

🧠 Child & Adolescent Mental Health — SAMHSA

National helpline · 1-800-662-4357 · Free

↗

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 · 24/7 · Free

↗

Trevor Project — LGBTQ+ Youth

1-866-488-7386 · Text START to 678-678

↗

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741 · 24/7

↗

📚 McKinney-Vento School Enrollment Rights

Immediate enrollment · No records needed

↗

ETV Grants — Education & Training Vouchers

Up to $5,000/year · Ages 16–26

↗

Chafee Foster Care Independence Program

Federal · Life skills & financial support

↗

CA College Promise — Foster Youth Priority

Free tuition at CA community colleges

↗

🏠 THP-Plus — Transitional Housing (CA)

Ages 18–24 · Former foster youth

↗

National Runaway Safeline

1-800-786-2929 · 24/7 crisis housing

↗

🍎 CalFresh (SNAP) — Food Assistance

California · EBT · Apply at benefitscal.com

↗

WIC — Women, Infants & Children

Nutrition support · Pregnant & young children

↗

💊 Medi-Cal — Foster Youth to Age 26

Free healthcare · No income limit for former FY

↗

Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP)

Free checkups · Vision · Dental · CA

↗

⚖️ Children's Law Center of California

Legal representation · Foster youth · Free

↗

Youth Law Center

Foster youth rights · System advocacy

↗

💰 AB 12 / NMD — Extended Foster Care Benefits

Monthly stipend · Ages 18–21 · CA

↗

SSI / Social Security for Foster Youth

Disability benefits · Bridge to adulthood

↗

🤝 Foster Club — Youth Peer Network

fosterclub.com · National peer support

↗

John Burton Advocates for Youth

California · Housing · Education · Policy

↗

Community-Added Local Resources

Loading community resources…

📥 Downloads

Free Guides & Templates

Policy-cited, printable, and always free. Download any guide — no account required.

📋

Free

72-Hour Placement Intake Checklist

Everything a caregiver needs to do and document in the first 72 hours of a new placement.

Foster Parents · Kinship

View & Download →

👗

Free

Clothing Allowance Request Letter

Fill-in letter citing DCFS Policy 0900-506.10. Send to your CSW to request clothing allowance.

Foster Parents · Kinship

View & Download →

🆘

Free

Emergency Benefit Request Letter

Policy-cited letter for urgent benefit needs. References WIC §11460 and DCFS procedures.

Foster Parents · Kinship

View & Download →

🎓

Free

McKinney-Vento Enrollment Letter

Immediate school enrollment letter citing Ed. Code §48853.5. No records required.

Foster Youth · Caregivers

View & Download →

📝

Free

CSW / SCSW Benefit Request Letter

Formal letter to caseworker requesting DCFS benefits and services with policy citations.

All Caregivers

View & Download →

📊

Free

BIRP Daily Log

Behavior · Intervention · Response · Plan. Interactive digital log with printable export.

Social Workers · Caregivers

View & Download →

🎯

Free

SCI Level 2/3 Placement Tracker

Specialized Care Increment criteria tracker with auto-scoring for Level 2 and Level 3 placements.

Social Workers · Caregivers

View & Download →

📅

Free

AB 12 — Extended Foster Care Guide

Plain-language guide to staying in foster care past 18 in California. Rights, requirements, and how to apply.

Foster Youth · Ages 17–21

Generate & Download →

⚖️

Free

Foster Youth Rights — Plain Language

WIC §16001.9 rights explained clearly. What every foster youth is entitled to, in plain English.

Foster Youth · All Ages

Generate & Download →

👵

Free

Kinship Caregiver Quick Reference

Benefits, licensing options, guardianship vs. custody, and DCFS contact cheat sheet for kinship families.

Kinship Caregivers

Generate & Download →

🧠

Free

Understanding ACEs — Caregiver Guide

What are Adverse Childhood Experiences, why they matter, and how trauma-informed care helps children heal.

All Caregivers

Generate & Download →

💊

Free

Medi-Cal for Former Foster Youth

How to apply, what's covered, and what to do if you were denied. California only. Ages 18–26.

Foster Youth · Ages 18–26

Generate & Download →

📄 Official California Forms

CCLD · DCFS · Juvenile Court

Click any form to open the official source. All forms are publicly available through the state of California.

🚨

CCLD · LIC 624

Unusual Incident / Injury Report

Required report for any unusual incident, injury, or illness affecting a child in a licensed foster home. Must be submitted within 24–72 hours.

Licensed Foster Homes · CCLD Required

↗ Open Official Form

📤

CCLD · LIC 625

Resident/Client Discharge Record

Documents the discharge of a child from a licensed foster home, including reason for discharge and placement destination.

Licensed Foster Homes · CCLD Required

↗ Open Official Form

💊

CCLD · LIC 9052

Medication Administration Record (MAR)

Daily log for tracking all medications given to a child. Required for licensed foster homes. Documents dosage, time, and caregiver administering.

Licensed Foster Homes · Daily Required

↗ Open Official Form

🧠

CCLD · LIC 9058

Mental Health Supplement

Supplement required for placements involving children with mental health conditions. Documents diagnosis, medications, and treatment plan.

Licensed Foster Homes · As Needed

↗ Open Official Form

🩹

CCLD · LIC 9061

First Aid & CPR Documentation

Required documentation of first aid and CPR certification for all licensed foster caregivers. Must be current and on file.

Licensed Foster Homes · CCLD Required

↗ Open Official Form

🏠

CCLD · LIC 508

Home Environment Checklist

Safety checklist for licensed foster homes. Covers sleeping arrangements, kitchen safety, medications, firearms storage, and outdoor hazards.

Foster Homes · Initial & Annual

↗ Open Official Form

📋

CCLD · LIC 198

Facility Evaluation Report

Form used during licensing inspections to evaluate foster home compliance with Title 22 regulations.

Licensed Foster Homes · Inspection

↗ Open Official Form

🆘

DCFS · SS 8572

Suspected Child Abuse Report (Mandated Reporter)

Official form for mandated reporters to document suspected child abuse or neglect. Also known as the "SCAR" form. Required by Penal Code §11166.

Mandated Reporters · Social Workers

↗ Open Official Form

🏡

CDSS · RFA 01A

Resource Family Application (RFA)

Application to become an approved Resource Family in California. Combines foster parent and relative caregiver approval under one unified framework.

Prospective Foster/Kinship Families

↗ Open Official Form

🎓

Guide · Section 504

Section 504 Accommodation Plan — Foster Youth

What a 504 plan is, how to request one for a foster child, what accommodations can be included, and how to enforce it if the school is not complying.

Foster Youth · Caregivers · School Rights

Generate Guide →

⚖️

Juvenile Court · JV-220

Application for Appointed Counsel

Application for a foster youth to request appointed legal counsel in juvenile dependency court proceedings. Free for eligible youth.

Foster Youth · Juvenile Court

↗ Open Official Form

📖

Guide · AI Generated

How to Complete LIC 624 — Step by Step

Plain-language guide to completing the Unusual Incident/Injury Report. What counts as an incident, what to write in each field, and submission deadlines.

Licensed Foster Homes

Generate Guide →

📖

Guide · AI Generated

Resource Family Approval (RFA) — What to Expect

Step-by-step walkthrough of the RFA process in California: application, home assessment, background checks, training requirements, and timeline.

Prospective Caregivers

Generate Guide →

All guides are AI-generated using validated sources and reviewed for accuracy. Always verify policy with your DCFS caseworker.

Letter

Fill in the bracketed fields before printing or downloading. This letter is policy-cited and formatted for DCFS.

Community

Ask the Community.

Real questions from foster youth, parents, kinship caregivers, and social workers — answered by Aunt Nancy AI and the community.

🔒 Social Worker Anonymity

Social workers post anonymously by default. Your role shows, your name never does.

Ask a Question

Aunt Nancy AI answers. The community can upvote.

Your Question

I am a...

Post anonymously

Community Questions

Loading…

Welcome back.

Change Location

She shows up.Every time.

The Aunt Nancys

Share Your Aunt Nancy

Watch & learn

This space isfor you.

Your Private Journal

Videos for foster youth

Know what you're owed.

You showed up.We'll show up for you.

Calendar & Reminders

Placement Tracker

Caregiver Journal

All Templates

You didn't sign up.You stepped up.

Calendar & Reminders

Placement Tracker

Kinship Journal

All Templates

Tools that workas hard as you do.

Everything you need. Free.

The Letter Vault.

Policy UpdatesThat Never Go Stale.

Trending Topics · Animated

Coming

Soon

Be the first to know.

Tell us what youactually need.

Share Your Experience

Community Wall

—

The Aunt Nancy Post

Learn what no one taught you.

Invest in the children you care for

Basic Training — $100

Watch, learn, feel less alone.

Trending Topics · Animated

Local Resources.

State & National Resources

Community-Added Local Resources

Free Guides & Templates

CCLD · DCFS · Juvenile Court

Ask the Community.

Ask a Question

Community Questions

This space is
for you.

You showed up.
We'll show up for you.

You didn't sign up.
You stepped up.

Tools that work
as hard as you do.

Policy Updates
That Never Go Stale.

Tell us what you
actually need.