Adoption Support & Resources

Heartland for Children strives to provide a multitude of resources and supports to adoptive parents, as we understand that adoption is a lifelong process. Our resources and links below are a glimpse of some of the recommended material for adoptive or prospective adoptive parents.

Community Resources

Looking for resources or programs near you?

Visit heartland.findhelp.com for a searchable database–simply enter your zip code to find programs and services near YOU!

Located in the heart of Lakeland, the Carol Jenkins Barnett United Way Children’s Resource Center is a community-based learning and resource center that provides classes, playgroups, workshops, developmental checkups, community activities, and support for parents and caregivers of children aged 0-6, as well as for expectant moms and dads. They strive to make childhood a happy, healthy, and wholesome experience for every child and parent in Polk County.

211 is a vital service that connects millions of people to help every year. To get expert, caring help, simply call 211 or visit 211.org

The mission of the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County is to provide leadership, direction, and integrated resource management for quality services that support our vision of success for children. Their vision is that all children enter school healthy, ready and eager for lifelong learning with the collaborative support of parents, families, educators, and the community.

The Early Learning Coalition of Florida's Heartland's goal is to ensure young children in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties have access to high quality early care and education programs. A high quality early care and education program is one that is filled with rich and creative experiences, a developmentally appropriate environment and caring teachers who sincerely connect with young children. Such a program can truly help a young child prepare for school success!

Teach Me Now! offers a variety of safety classes including CPR, how to handle household poisons, allergic reactions, and more. Call (863) 581-4177 for more information.

Post Adoption

Are you an adoptive parent and need support and resources?

Contact our Tracy Bohannon, Post Adoption Specialist at 863-519-8900 x 232.

Helpful Links

Adoption Support Groups

Most parents in Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties agree that they can be better parents with support. There are a number of support groups are available for foster and adoptive families in Circuit 10. Explore below to see which group(s) might be right for you!

Check out Ametheo's 2023 Schedule for Mom's Mornings, Mom and Me, and Family Support Group. For more information on upcoming support groups, contact Marlynn Pharnes, LMCH at 863-224-2408.

TLC (Tender Loving Caregivers) is an association of Foster, Adoptive, Relative/Non-Relative Careigvers, and Independent Living Children that gather together for monthly training and support meetings and events. They offer a wide range of services to our families.

Visit their website: www.tlcfamilies.org for more information, to join, and meeting schedules.

Check out their Facebook Group: TLC Association, Inc - www.facebook.com/groups

Medical & Dental

Log in, find doctors and dentists/providers/hospitals, learn about Healthy Kids and more at sunshinehealth.com. Contact Member Services at (866) 796-0530 or TDD/TTY: (800) 955-8770. Business hours are Monday - Friday 8AM - 8PM.

Needing any assistance with Sunshine Health? Contact Heartland for Children's Post-Adoption Specialist at 863-519-8900 x 232.

Be sure to check out the latest Sunshine Health Newsletter.

Recommended Reading

The boy who was raised as a dog, Bruce D. Perry & Maia Szalavitz
Parenting the Hurt Child – Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow, Gregory Keck & Regina Kupecky
Parenting from the Inside Out, Daniel Siegel
Beyond Logic, Consequences, and Control, Heather Forbes & Brian Post
Attaching in Adoption – Practical Tools for Today’s Parents, Deborah D. Gray
The Connected Child, Karen Purvis
Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting, Laura Markham
No-Drama Discipline, Tina Payne Bryson & Daniel Siegel
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, Daniel J Siegel & Tina P. Bryson
Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control, Heather Forbes & B. Post
How it Feels to be Adopted, Jill Krementz
A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer
The Lost Boy, Dave Pelzer
A Man Named Dave, Dave Pelzer
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, Bruce D. Perry
Parenting From the Inside Out, Daniel Siegel
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, Daniel Siegel
The 5 Love Languages of Children, Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel Van der Kolk
Unconditional Parenting, Alfie Kohn
Three Little Words: A Memoir, Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Three More Words, Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Are We There Yet?, Susan Badeau

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