Guide · Health & Family
How to Become a Foster Parent in NYC
The Administration for Children's Services runs the process end to end — orientation, training, a home study, and background checks. Here's what actually happens at each step.
NYC always needs more foster families, and ACS — the Administration for Children's Services — runs a structured, months-long process to license new ones, either directly or through one of the private foster care agencies it partners with. You don't need to own your home, be married, or have raised kids before. What matters is a stable home, the ability to complete training, and passing background checks. The process is thorough by design, since it's about a child's safety, but it's also predictable once you know the steps.
📋 Orientation and training (MAPP)
You start with an ACS orientation session, then move into roughly 30 hours of pre-service training covering trauma, attachment, safety planning, and behavior support. This training was long known as MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting); ACS has been shifting toward a newer curriculum built around NTDC and TRIPP, but the structure is similar — group sessions that both prepare you and let trainers assess whether fostering is a good fit for your household. You'll complete another 12 hours of specialized training within your first year after being approved.
🏠 The home study and background checks
Alongside training, a caseworker conducts a home study — a series of interviews and at least one home visit to assess space, safety, and your household's readiness. Everyone 18 and older living in the home needs a fingerprint-based criminal background check, plus a check of the New York State Central Register for prior child abuse or neglect findings. None of this is meant to be adversarial; it's the same process every prospective foster parent in the state goes through.
🛂 Can non-citizens foster?
Green card holders generally can become licensed foster parents — federal Title IV-E funding, which supports much of the foster care system, is available for citizens and lawful permanent residents. Whether someone without permanent status can foster depends on the specific agency and case, and isn't a simple yes or no from general rules alone. If this applies to you, raise it directly with ACS or the foster care agency you're working with at your first orientation, rather than assuming either way.
Do this first: sign up for an ACS foster parent orientation at nyc.gov/acs — it's free, no commitment, and the fastest way to get a real answer about your specific situation and timeline.
Official source: NYC Administration for Children's Services, Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent (nyc.gov/acs).
Sources
1. NYC Administration for Children's Services, "Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent," nyc.gov/acs, accessed August 2026. 2. NYC ACS Training, pre-service training curriculum overview, nycacstraining.org, accessed August 2026.
Criollo News guides are practical explainers, not legal advice — every case is different, and program rules change. Confirm your situation with ACS directly or a foster care agency caseworker.