After Blake and Elana Natker became parents to their daughter and son, they were immediately made aware of the importance of giving children a good start in life.

“Not all families are as fortunate as we are, and there are kids in our area who need some help,” said the Natkers. “We know we can’t help every child, but it’s our hope that helping just one child, even for just a brief time, can make a huge difference in that child’s life.”

The Natkers found NVFS’ Therapeutic Foster Care program and completed their pre-service training to become approved treatment foster parents.

The Natkers now provide respite to fellow NVFS foster parents’ foster children twice a month.

Their generosity and flexibility — two incredibly important qualities of foster parents — help provide a successful experience for all involved.

“Open communication with the full-time foster family and having the child fold into our regular routine has proven to be successful,” the Natkers shared on how they make respite parenting work for their family and the children they foster.