Help sponsor a foster family in China

Thanks to supporters like you, many children residing in orphanages are eventually placed in a foster home through our Loving Families Program. Until then, they receive lots of love and nurturing by their caregivers, as well as educational stimulation through our Preschool Program. In fact, many children—even after being placed with a loving family—continue on in the Preschool Program. Read on for a special report about how a rainstorm in China became an unexpectedly fun outdoor lesson for some orphanage preschoolers…

Yufei was first to notice it.

It’s raining!

Why does it rain? What does it feel like? When will it stop?

Lessons paused, and dedicated teachers decided the best way to learn would be for the children to experience the rain for themselves.

Yufei led the charge outside, with the other children following happily behind her. The rain felt magical! The children listened, mesmerized, as their teachers pointed towards the sky, answering all their questions about how rain is made.

They were having such a good time, they were reluctant to return to their classroom after their  rainy day lesson was over, wanting to catch just a few more drops. But, it being rainy season, the quick thinking teachers promised the children they could splash in the puddles again soon!

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Children like Yufei are often abandoned as babies. In the past such kids commonly suffered development problems due to a lack of love, fun and learning. They were never held, they didn’t learn, they didn’t ask questions.

OneSky trained early childhood educators blend responsive care with local kindergarten standards. Their care is designed to prepare the children to develop intellectual curiosity and a love of learning, succeed in community schools, and attain a positive sense of self so often missing in institutionalized children.

This environment of love, hugs and happiness means these children grow up attentive and engaged and knowing how to form relationships. Through the preschool program, experienced early childhood educators are taught a unique and progressive curriculum that blends responsive care and some elements of Italy’s Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education with local kindergarten standards. The program is designed to prepare the children to develop intellectual curiosity and a love of learning, succeed in community schools, and attain the positive sense of self so often missing in institutionalized children.

Click here to read more stories about children served through our Orphanage Program!

Thank you for your support of our Loving Families Program! For this report, we’d like to share a special video, about “Little Sister” and her loving foster family. Like many abandoned children living in orphanages she was placed with a family in this program. You may read a short overview of her touching story below and view it here via video: https://onesky.org/little-sisters-loving-family/.

When Little Sister joined our Loving Families Program, she was an abandoned, frightened 2-year-old orphan. Because of her special needs it was unlikely she’d ever be adopted.

However, our program offered her a second chance at having a family.

After living in an institution adjusting to family life was not easy. When she first met her new foster family, she was acting out and rebellious. Her catch phrase used to be “no.” At first, she was shut down and anxious because she was not used to being part of a family unit with parents and siblings.

But she soon showed small signs of adjusting.

Bit by bit, over time, she truly became part of her family, with caring parents who had gone through special OneSky training to learn all about raising and nurturing orphaned children, and children with special needs.

Now Little Sister is a well-adjusted 5-year-old who has a wonderful sense of belonging, thanks to her foster family.

Our Loving Family Program pairs children like Little Sister with significant special needs with permanent foster families. And, although the program was designed for children deemed “un-adoptable,” one in ten of these kids have turned around so completely that they have been adopted to another “forever family.”

To view more of our video stories about the children we serve, please visit://onesky.org/stories/.