Laura Adams Is Rewriting the Story for Foster & Adoptive Kids — One School at a Time

The first thing you notice about Laura Adams, Founder and President of iCARE4 Adoptive and Foster Families, is her passion. She’s not speculating or guessing about the needs of children she’s lived it.

Two of her four, children are adopted. She’s walked this road, navigating school systems that may not yet understand the complexities of adoption and how important it is to support them through a trauma-informed and attachment- focused lens.

A former advertising and marketing professional turned educator and tutor, Laura blends strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and lived experience. She knows the system intimately—and she’s redesigning it so children can thrive.

And she isn’t thinking small.

“I don’t have a long-term vision separate from my immediate one,” she said. “I want training and resources in every school.”

📊 The Gap: Hours With Children, Zero Hours of Training

Laura explains it best:

• “Adoptive and foster parents are required to complete 30–40 hours of training to understand trauma, identity, and attachment.”

  
  

• “Teachers, who spend nearly 40 hours a week with those same children, receive zero training on these issues.”

  
  

Why is this specialized training so important?

80% of children in foster care need mental health services. Over 50% of adopted children do too.They are at higher risk than their peers of substance abuse, incarceration, and 56% of foster youth drop out of high school.

“People assume that once a child is adopted or finds a permanent placement the hard part is over,” she said.But the truth? That’s often when the healing and the hardest emotional work begins. It’s only when a child finally feels safe that they start to process everything they've lost.

The Solution: Tools Built for Real-Life Classrooms

To close this gap, Laura created two breakthrough resources:

Beyond the Family Tree™

A 1.5–3 hour training that gives educators practical strategies and language they can use immediately.

iCARE4 Schools Connection Kits™

Bilingual, ready-to-use tools with conversation starters, identity-positive language, regulation support, and guidance for everyone in the building—from teachers to librarians to PE staff.

Since launching in March, 1,750 kits are already in use across Illinois—with more on the way. The impact is immediate. Educators finally understand why these students respond the way they do—and how to help.

🌎 Vision: From Pilot to National Movement

Momentum is building fast. Laura is now leaning into what she calls “scale with intention.” Her plans include:

• Expanding distribution to all 4,500 Illinois schools, replicating nationally

• Partnering with state education agencies so support becomes standardized, not optional

• Collaborating with other partners to include kits in foster intake bags

• Speaking at national conferences and participating in leadership convenings in Washington DC and other states

• Strengthening her board with members who can build not just awareness—but champions

  
  

Laura passionately remarked, “These kids are often overlooked. It’s hard to find champions. So I’m building a team of them.”

💛 Why It Matters

When adults understand the “invisible backpack” children carry, filled with loss, identity questions, grief, and survival strategies, everything shifts.Placements stabilize. Misdiagnoses decrease. Kids feel seen. And they stay.

This is crisis prevention at its best which help schools understand, support, and stand steady as kids grow.

🔥 The Momentum

Laura’s work is already proving itself. A few highlights:

• She is a sought-after speaker, personally training over 500 professionals in the last year.

  
  

• The University of Illinois Center of Excellence in Child Welfare has contracted iCARE to collaborate in webinars and to build future educator materials.

  
  

• Leading organizations like the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services, and national trainers like Bryan Post are utilizing the Connection Kits.

  
  

• Legislators who once questioned feasibility now recognize scalability.

  
  

Laura commented, "I didn’t have all the dots connected, but the stakes were too high not to try.”

📣 Want to Help?

If you believe every child deserves a school that understands their story, here’s how to make an impact:

🔗 Learn more or donate: icare4aaff.org

Interested in a larger or strategic gift? Contact Laura@icare4aaff.org

Because when we CONNECT, children THRIVE.

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I help nonprofits raise more money through education, coaching, and strategic planning. I also lead high-impact professional development, coaching programs, and retreats for companies of all sizes. If you’re ready to strengthen your fundraising strategy, turn board members into advocates, or build a comprehensive legacy giving program, let’s talk.