Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect children from any background, but those in foster care are especially vulnerable. There are ten main types of ACEs that have been identified—ranging from abuse to neglect to household dysfunction. All of them have the potential to negatively impact future outcomes for a child.
Our latest guest, Angela Paganelli, is a former foster youth who experienced all ten ACEs. After the tragic loss of her mother at the age of 13, Angela spent her teenage years in foster care and institutional settings. These formative experiences shaped her passion for supporting children in care, leading her to start her own foster care ministry.
Together with her husband, Rick, Angela has raised three biological children, fostered over 20 children, and adopted four. As a TBRI practitioner, Angela leverages her experience to advocate for trauma-informed care in the foster care system.
In this episode, Angela shares explains what ACEs are and what their long-term impacts can look like, why it’s crucial to help children in the foster care system feel seen, the power “do-overs” can have in one’s healing process, and much more.
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/angela-paganelli-262/
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.5% of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2023. Unfortunately, food-related trauma is a common challenge for many children who have entered the foster care system. Whether it’s an aversion to a particular type of food, fear that there won’t be enough food, or a tendency to overeat and hoard food, there are many behaviors a child may exhibit as a result of their past experiences. When these behaviors occur, it’s important to meet them with curiosity and kindness.
Madison Tyler, a foster and adoptive parent who has been a pediatric dietitian for 13 years, is here to help us understand more about a child’s relationship with food.
Madison and her husband became foster parents in 2017. Over the years, they have welcomed and witnessed reunification for several children. Today, Madison integrates her professional expertise with her personal experience to help families navigate food challenges, build trust, and foster connection around the table.
In this episode, you’ll hear strategies you can use to respond to some of the most common challenges foster and adoptive parents encounter around food, what a Harvard study says is the single most important factor in determining a person’s health and longevity, practical tips for helping your child develop a positive relationship with food, and much more.
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/madison-tyler-261/
For our very first episode of 2025, we’re bringing you another great conversation that sheds light on the real people of the foster care community.
In this episode, we are talking to Keristein Fox. Today, she’s a happily married stay-at-home mom who loves watching her three children grow and thrive. But Keristein’s story wasn’t always this joyful. She endured many dark seasons to reach where she is now.
In this episode, you’ll hear about how addiction can push people toward actions they regret, the crucial role kinship care can play in the foster care system, how Jesus offers hope and healing in even the most dire of circumstances, and much more.
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/keristein-fox-260/