NYU News and Documentary Presents ...

F O S T E R C A R E: Graduate students of the New York University News and Documentary program spent part of a semester documenting the struggles and successes of people and families who endure life in the foster care system.

On this website, you will find their stories, in print and video format.

You can start by clicking on the slider below to watch our various video stories. Below each video you will find links to related print articles. You can also click here to read about our NYU Foster Care website.

    Teen pregnancy common for foster kids

    Teen pregnancy common for foster kids

    PRODUCED BY SARAH SPRINGER TEEN PREGNANCY A TEST FOR FOSTER KIDS Teen pregnancy is complex and represents a series of tough obstacles in any context. In foster care, it adds another dimension to the responsibility of prospective foster parents. It may also become a part of the cycle, as children born in foster care often […]

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    Immigrant Foster Children struggle for citizenship

    Immigrant Foster Children struggle for citizenship

    PRODUCED BY MALLIKA ARYAL IMMIGRANT FOSTER CHILDREN STRUGGLE FOR CITIZENSHIP Special Immigration Juvenile Status (SIJS) allows immigrant children in foster care to apply for permanent residency but the system needs to be made more efficient so that no child is left behind. Related Story: Making undocumented US foster kids legal Fekri Kram was born in […]

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    Embracing Sexual Identity

    Embracing Sexual Identity

    PRODUCED BY JOSHUA FRANK AND SHEA CONNELLY EMBRACING SEXUAL IDENTITY TOUGH, BUT DIFFERENT IN FOSTER CARE Coming out can be hard for some, harder still without parents, without family, and without support. Fitting in with other kids in an urban foster care systems can be beyond intimidating. But for a lucky few, there are places […]

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    Foster teens try to avoid trouble

    Foster teens try to avoid trouble

    PRODUCED BY CLIFTON LEE FOSTER TEENS TRY TO AVOID TROUBLE The odds are already against a child in the foster care system. They get even worse as they enter teenage years. Once they age out, there’s no structure or family to fall back on. Avoiding trouble can be troublesome for these young adults. Related Story: […]

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    Emancipated to Nothingness

    Emancipated to Nothingness

    PRODUCED BY LAURIE GUTHMANN EMANCIPATED TO NOTHINGNESS The foster kids who don’t end up with a foster parent may end up homeless. Though there are structures and programs in place to prepare teenage foster kids for adulthood, homelessness and poverty are just a reality for those preparing to “age out” of the system. Related Story: […]

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    Foster teens face permanency barriers

    Foster teens face permanency barriers

    PRODUCED BY BRIDGET LEAHY FOSTER TEENS FACE PERMANENCY BARRIERS Most foster care parents aren’t looking for teenagers. Most want babies, or young children. Where does this leave our young adults? Many foster teens face the struggle of finding permanency. For some, relying on themselves is the only source of permanency. Others are luckier. Related Story: […]

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    Siblings reconnect despite odds

    Siblings reconnect despite odds

    PRODUCED BY JANE CAFFREY SIBLINGS RECONNECT DESPITE ODDS What happens to brothers and sisters when a prospective foster family wants only one child? Oftentimes, in this way and others, the kids in the foster care system separate from their siblings. Separation can even happen at such a young age that the children have no living […]

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    Single Parents: Does race matter?

    Single Parents: Does race matter?

    PRODUCED BY GP INGERSOLL AND CYNTHIA GHAZALI SINGLE PARENTS: DOES RACE MATTER? All adoptive parents face different challenges raising their kids. Race, race relations and civil rights issues in transracial families can be a touchy issue, where the right answer isn’t always black or white. Click “Watch Now” to see Deb Plummer find a place […]

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    Kinship care good option to break cycle

    Kinship care good option to break cycle

    PRODUCED BY JULIA DORAN AND CYNTHIA MEDINA KINSHIP CARE GOOD OPTION TO BREAK CYCLE Kinship care places foster children with the next closest adult family member, and provides kids with a number of advantages. Carole Eady adopted her young niece, Nivia, after Nivia’s family broke apart amid a string of terrible occurrences, one of which […]

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    Demand for foster parents rising

    Demand for foster parents rising

    PRODUCED BY TENZIN NYIMA DEMAND FOR FOSTER PARENTS RISING Foster parents often get a bad rap from pop culture misconception. Characterized at times as neglectful, exploitative and harsh. Sharabia Wilson is an example of when foster care both makes and breaks these conceptions. Related Print Article: Experienced mother chooses to foster Since five of her […]

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    Mothers battle system and self

    Mothers battle system and self

    PRODUCED BY LORETTA VAN DER HORST Difficult Custody  Battles For The Mentally Ill It’s tough enough coping with mental illness. It’s tough enough being a mother. Does that make doing both impossible? See the story of one woman struggling with Bi-Polar disorder and fighting at the same time to retain custody of her children. Related […]

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    Punishment Misunderstood in Immigrant Families

    Punishment Misunderstood in Immigrant Families

    PRODUCED BY DONGNAN CHEN PUNISHMENT MISUNDERSTOOD IN IMMIGRANT FAMILIES The varying degrees of acceptable corporal punishment in America are constantly evolving. Of course other countries differ as well in the way they discipline children. Problems occur where differing cultures meet, and when discipline takes on a new meaning. Related Print Article: Father fights system for […]

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    ACS: Welfare or Victimization?

    ACS: Welfare or Victimization?

    PRODUCED BY KONSTANTIN SYOMIN and HAYA FATIMA IQBAL ACS: WELFARE OR VICTIMIZATION Social structures meant to protect children often become obstacles to the well being of those very same kids. Caught up, stuck in this bureaucratic cycle, parents and kids find an already difficult life increasingly more difficult. The Garcia family is one of many […]

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    Video Series 1

    Teen pregnancy common for foster kids
    Teen pregnancy common for foster kids

    Jun 02, 2011 | Comments Off on Teen pregnancy common for foster kids

    PRODUCED BY SARAH SPRINGER TEEN PREGNANCY A TEST FOR FOSTER KIDS Teen pregnancy is complex and repre…

    More in Video Series 1

    Video Series 2

    Siblings reconnect despite odds
    Siblings reconnect despite odds

    May 16, 2011 | Comments Off on Siblings reconnect despite odds

    PRODUCED BY JANE CAFFREY SIBLINGS RECONNECT DESPITE ODDS What happens to brothers and sisters when a…

    More in Video Series 2

    Video Series 3

    Immigrant Foster Children struggle for citizenship
    Immigrant Foster Children struggle for citizenship

    May 16, 2011 | Comments Off on Immigrant Foster Children struggle for citizenship

    PRODUCED BY MALLIKA ARYAL IMMIGRANT FOSTER CHILDREN STRUGGLE FOR CITIZENSHIP Special Immigration Juv…

    More in Video Series 3