OLYMPIA -- The Department of Social and Health Services Children's Administration has developed a business marketing approach to recruit and retain new foster parents. May is National Foster Care Month and events throughout May will highlight the new "Foster Parenting: You can too" campaign.

"We have a continuing need for more dedicated and caring foster parents," says Cheryl Stephani, Children's Administration assistant secretary. "Traditional methods of recruiting were too broad. By combining market research with information on the characteristics of a successful foster parent, we are able to identify a population we can focus our recruiting efforts on."

Children's Administration staff, foster parents, private foster care and adoption agencies, and marketing and design experts spent the last year developing a targeted approach to foster parent recruiting. All partners statewide will use the approach. The plan includes a statewide database of current and potential foster families, a Statewide Recruitment Information center for people interested in learning more about foster parenting, and the marketing campaign "You can too."

The new logo is one feature of the "You can too" campaign. Profiles of real foster parents using their own words and photos are used to increase awareness that "You can too" make a positive impact in a child's life.

"Businesses know all about their potential customers, so it makes sense for us to learn about the people who will make the best foster parents," says Stephani. "This market-driven approach has given us information on such things as types of cars they drive, outdoor activities, where they eat, types of pets and other consumer and lifestyle likes and dislikes."

In Washington, the number of children placed into out-of-home care has increased from about 8,600 in 2003, to about 10,400 in 2007.

Currently, there are about 5,900 available licensed foster homes. Since the "You can too" campaign is new and no standard has yet been set on how many new foster parents will be recruited, Children's Administration would like to increase the number of new licensed foster homes by 5 percent each year.

But numbers only tell part of the story. Generally, child welfare agencies need about three available foster home beds per child because of the need to match the most appropriate home with the child. For example, foster families are needed more urgently in some communities than others. Whenever possible, social workers and other community partners strive to place children in schools and neighborhoods the children are familiar with and they hope to place sibling groups together. Children and families also are matched depending on their cultural, social and medical needs.

One of the first events to feature the new "You can too" theme will be the Foster Care Month celebration, which is expected to attract 200 foster parents and relative caregivers to the State Capitol. The annual event takes place Tuesday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Columbia Room in the Capitol Campus Legislative Building.

"You can too" logo and PowerPoint presentation.   To learn more about becoming a foster parent, call 1-888-KIDS-414.