Extraordinary Families

My wife and I became certified foster parents and ultimately adoptive parents through Extraordinary Families. We really appreciated the training and emotional preparation around fostering, adopting, trauma, and the journey to come. As gay parents, we greatly appreciated EF's inclusivity. We are so grateful and overjoyed to have adopted our beautiful son.

Extraordinary families provided amazing support on our journey to adopt a child through foster care. They were supportive every step of the way. We also greatly appreciated their advice and honesty. It’s a very challenging process and we felt very prepared throughout our journey. We are so happy to have now finalized adoption of an adorable little boy!

I have been a licensed resource parent for about four and a half years. I began my training to become a resource parent in September of 2018. From my first outreach until today, I have had nothing but an incredible, supportive and significant relationship with Extraordinary Families. In June of 2019, I welcomed my first placement, a one-month old baby girl. Eighteen months later, she was reunified with her parents - and continues to thrive. Extraordinary Families helped me through the entire experience - learning to be a resource parent, supporting my needs, answering my questions and helping me when it was clear we would be saying "goodbye" to my foster daughter living in my home. They even helped me navigate building a relationship with the family, so we maintain contact and support. In December of 2021, I welcomed a new born baby girl into my home. Just a few months later, we learned of her brother, who was 13 months older. He came to live with me in May of 2022. Once again, Extraordinary Families helped me through this process, and helped me certify to add the second child to my home. In May of 2023, I adopted the baby girl and in August of 2023, I adopted her brother. Extraordinary Families has helped me create a little family, doing so with love, compassion and always centering the child and their needs first.

Extraordinary Families has been part of our family since 2016. They have walked us through the process of fostering and adoption--both for our son and our foster daughter. The experience of fostering and adoption is wonderful but emotionally difficult, something this nonprofit truly understands. The group also is very adept at fostering (no pun intended!) community through parties, events, and parent support groups. They are knowledgable about all the intricacies of the court system and the legal requirements to foster and adopt; they really do incredible work.

Extraordinary Families has helped us grow our family. It's because of their shared stories and support that we decided to become a resource family and have opened our hearts to 4 children over the years. They have provided excellent guidance and support throughout our process of becoming a resource family through to adoption.

As a resource parent for the past four years, I am grateful for Extraordinary Families' ability demystify the foster care process and support me to thrive as a caregiver and parent. Since joining Extraordinary Families, my partner and I have opened up our home to several kiddos, each of whom has changed our lives for the better. We have no regrets about embarking on our journey to parenthood with Extraordinary Families!

I became certified as a Resource parent through Extraordinary Families in 2018, and shortly there after I took in my first foster child. EF was with me every step of the way. The staff became part of our family, cheering on my child as he grew, and helping me with every issue that came up. They always had our backs, and their support has been invaluable. I am now fostering my fifth child, and EF is still with us every step of the way. There has been changes in staff over the five years, but their support and their mission has not changed at all. They are still helping me provide a home and love to little ones in need, and I could not be doing this without EF.

Our private, family foundation has been funding Extraordinary Families for more than 10 years. During that time, we have come to know the executive management team quite well. They are honest, dependable and incredibly hard working. They remain extremely focused on their mission, and work hard to provide a safety net for those children and families involved in the child welfare system. Their advocacy work helps guide their policies that favor the child-family reunification, and they stand strong in their commitment to social justice for all. We are proud to support this worthy organization.

We have worked with Extraordinary Families since 2017! It has been an unforgettable journey. With all the ups and downs Extraordinary Families team has been a wonderful resource to us. They help navigate through the process and help champion the children every step of the way. We loved working with our social worker, Tessa who is so patient and caring and amazing with the children! They are truly an incredible organization and we couldn't be happier to have been a part of their community. Anyone who has thought about helping foster children would be very lucky to work with this incredible team! They are there for everyone and are always accessible which is great for last minute questions you might have. We have recommended them to many and are grateful for all they do.

Extraordinary Families (EF) has far surpassed my expectations of what to expect from a foster family agency. From my first contact with the organization everyone has been so kind and helpful. I have loved the case workers I have had from my different placements. They truly care about the kiddo and the family. Plus, the resources they provide for the resource families is unparalleled. In the foster care system, resource parents have no rights and no voice, EF has been an advocate for me gone to bat for me with DCFS. I always recommend EF when I speak to prospective foster families.

We have nothing but great things to say about our experience with Extraordinary Families. The support and guidance we received during our lengthy foster to adoption process was extremely valuable. We are forever grateful.

My wife and I were eager to become foster parents. After a bad experience with another agency, we immediately fell in love with Extraordinary Families. Every staff member and social worker we talked to was helpful, empathetic, and accommodating. We truly felt taken care of, and we've been huge cheerleaders of the agency over the past 3 1/2 years.

Extraordinary Families is a wonderful organization. They truly care about families and children, they're responsive and helpful and inclusive. We used them for the foster-adoption of both of our children and we're so glad we did. Can't recommend them highly enough.

Our family had an amazing experience working with Extraordinary Families. We adopted our sibling set after 2.5 years of fostering and EF was there to offer support any time we needed it. We believe in EF so much that we continue to support them and donate to them. We highly recommend this agency!

We became resource (foster/adopt) parents in 2017 and Extraordinary Families was so amazing - we could not have opened our home and hearts without them! They supported us and our (now adopted) daughter every step of the way - from education and advocacy, to emotional and mental support. They were a phenomenal resource, always making sure that our daughter's needs were at the center of the process. EF helped us navigate the system, educated us on the goals of reunification and child/birth family-centered philosophies, coordinated and monitored weekly visits with birth parent, and so, so much more! They always picked up the phone when we called, and walked with us through extremely challenging experiences. They continue to help us with important continuing education so that we can support our daughter through her journey as an adoptee. We are eternally grateful! - E & D

At Extraordinary Families we believes every child, youth, and family in LA’s child welfare system deserves to thrive in a safe and nurturing family. For nearly 9 years I’ve witnessed a relentless dedication to this mission by everyone associated to our small (boutique) but mighty agency. This work is not easy, it is not for the faint at heart, and it takes a village. The staff, volunteers, and leadership are all my heroes.

My husband and I partnered with Extraordinary Families in 2015 to become certified foster parents with the goal of adopting one or more children (we were open to accepting siblings). The training program with other candidate foster parents and our experience with the Extraordinary Families social workers went amazingly well. We always felt valued and respected. When we faced unexpected challenges with the county social workers at a critical stage, the Extraordinary Families social workers managed the situation effectively, allowing the process to continue more smoothly towards the finalization of the adoption. We couldn't be happier with the outcome, and we continue to support Extraordinary Families.

I have been volunteering and donating with EF for many years and am proud to continue uplifting their work to support foster youth and families. The staff are so dedicated and their commitment to equity, inclusion, and service are an inspiration

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this organization! I’ve helped work with them for 6 years now and am constantly blown away by the amazing work they do to help youths in the foster care system. I’ve volunteered to assist with multiple fundraising events and my friends and I do the annual wrapping party to wrap holiday gifts for the kids/young adults. All my experiences with them have been amazing. I feel lucky to be able to assist this fantastic organization in their mission to help kids and young adults. I look forward to many years ahead of working with Extraordinary Families!

My family and I have had the most wonderful experience with Extraordinary Families. We have both donated our money and time and have attended events over the years, such as the Halloween carnival. We also love to help wrap presents for the kids around the holidays and we are always so impressed with Barnaby and the rest of the wonderful and kind staff. We continue to be amazed by EF!

Extraordinary Families has been fundamental in our fostering experience from start to finish. I honestly don't know how we would have been able to navigate the ups and downs of this process without them. I recommend them to everyone interested in fostering or fost-adopt or even if they are just curious. EF is an amazing resource with a wonderful and caring staff. We hope to have them be a part of our and our foster son's life for years to come!

Our experience with Extraordinary Families was life changing. We adopted our son after fostering him with EF for 2.5 years and they were with us every step of the way. Forever grateful.

Wonderful institution with a loving, compassionate, knowledgeable, warm staff. It took all of one orientation to fall in love with this agency, no need to look elsewhere. We fostered two magical children through Extraordinary Families and are on our way to adopting one of them. Exceeded all expectations of what an FFA could do, held our hand lovingly through a very confusing, labyrinthine process. Highly recommend!

My wife and I fostered 4 children (of which 2 we adopted) through Extraordinary Families. The staff was very helpful throughout the process in terms of training, administration, and guidance. Our foster care social worker, in particular, was great. I highly recommend this agency.

This organization is very professional and helpful. From the social workers to the administrators, we had a fantastic experience with Extraordinary Families. They helped us in our emotional and often difficult journey of serving as foster parents. We couldn't have done it without them!

I've been a donor and volunteer with EF for years, and I am consistently amazed by their dedication to the families they serve. I've been especially moved by their annual holiday initiative, which was my first contact with the organization. I volunteered to wrap holiday gifts for EF kids to ensure they'd have presents to open like every child should. It may seem like a small gesture, but it speaks to EF's commitment to providing not only everything these kids need but also providing things that make childhood special. Thank you for your work!

I was certified as a foster parent with this agency, and ultimately wound up adopting. They are fantastic! They offer a lot of support to families. Their social workers are very knowledgeable, but also compassionate and understanding. They do all they can to make the process as easy as possible for their families. Prior to being certified with Extraordinarily Families, I was certified as a foster parent in another state, directly with the county, and there was a big difference. The support provided by Extraordinary Families was so much more than I received from the County agency directly. I would highly recommend them.

To say this organization has changed my life is an understatement. I got involved with Extraordinary Families about 5 years ago. They were recommended to me through the non-profit Together We Rise as a location to drop off duffle bags filled with supplies for kids in the foster care system. Immediately I was struck by how welcoming and warm and appreciative the staff was. I called them back a few months later to see if they needed any help with anything for the holidays and that is when our annual wrapping party got started. The amazing stuff at EF used to spend their off work hours wrapping the gifts for the kids every single year. I wanted to give these amazing people some more time to rest and recharge so they could be the amazing advocates they are on a daily basis for children in the system. We started a party where every December, I would get together about 25-30 friends and we would wrap a huge bulk of the gifts in one night. When it started there were maybe only 12 people and now it has grown into a huge bunch. We also fundraise to help them raise money for the Holiday party they throw for the children and their foster families. Honestly the wrapping party is my favorite part of the holiday season. I love the staff at EF and so look forward to seeing them and hearing about the amazing work they are doing right here in my local community. Besides the wrapping party, I have done flowers for a fundraiser luncheon and volunteered for their Fall Festival and I just want to continue to support them in every way possible. The staff is incredible. The support and outpouring of goodness that comes from them is amazing. They work tirelessly to help kids in the system and do it with such grace and poise that it always leaves me in awe. This group of people has become like a second family to me. My friends as well love them so much and are so happy to volunteer when I ask them to. Truly the best organization and I cannot wait to keep working with them for decades to come. I included some photos from our wrapping parties from the first year and the last year. Great org and great people!

EF really cares about bettering the lives of foster kids and it's really heartening to see how hard they work. I've helped them put on a carnival as well as wrap holiday presents, and the workers' dedication shines through every time. They do great work.

Our second family!
My son and I adopted each other through Extraordinary families in 2009. We have stayed in contact with our friends at the agency ever since. We try to attend all of the events and gatherings they host so we can see the other families we met along our journey there.
My son is 12 now and i am forever grateful that i walked through the doors at Extraordinary Families.
OK, can i brag a bit? My son is fluent (reading and writing) in 2 languages and is learning his third. With that being said i'm not sure my own family genetics could have produced such a smarty pants!

I've participated in Extraordinary Families' Christmas drive for several years and have always been impressed with how effectively it's run and how focused on the children the efforts are. It's always clear where resources are being allocated, and it's communicated very well exactly how donations will be managed and distributed.

Extraordinary Families is a wonderful asset to our community and does such important work for foster youth and families. Their commitment to equity, inclusion, and service are an inspiration

We attended the Christmas event and everything was perfectly organized. Thank you to the organizers for such an inspiring event.

Extraordinary Families is an amazing organization that supports and educates foster youth on positive ways to deal with past neglect and abuse. As a clinical social worker that has been working in the field for 10 years, I was impressed by our social worker Amanda. She used a holistic and trauma informed approach that supported and reduced our stress while navigating the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS).
I describe the process of foster/adoption as a roller coaster ride of emotions and without supportive professionals like Amanda, our family would not have survived roller coaster of social services. We were well informed by the agency though trainings and learned how to be supportive to our daughters emotional and physical needs. The agency did a wonderful job at listening to the daughter’s point of view which, makes her feel valued, loved, and respected. We are thankful every day because working with Extraordinary Families made our daughter’s experience in the foster care system less stressful, which made it easier for her to form a secure attachment with us, and adjust to her new family environment.

Extraordinary Families was like a warm hug from the beginning orientation to now, 2 years deep in the foster process. We selected this FFA because of their phenomenal reputation and the personal experience of a friend, and we knew we didn't need to look elsewhere from the first moment of orientation. The staff is kind, warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and empower you on what can be an arduous, challenging, heartbreaking (and heart-making) journey. I can't recommend them enough.

Because of Extraordinary Families, I have been able to foster four amazing babies and have been lucky enough to adopt one of them. As a single father, I questioned if I would have the time that was required of foster parents in regards to appt's, visits, etc. I felt support from the entire agency. My training was very thorough and I felt more than prepared when I received my first call regarding a placement. EF was there to hold my hand and offer a shoulder to cry on when my first child was reunified with biological family. And I did it again three more times. As I mentioned, I was able to adopt my last little one. Throughout the entire process, I experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Extraordinary Families was there for me every step of the way offering their wealth of knowledge and continued love and support.

This organization puts people first. Their focus on improving the lives of children in foster care never wavers. The staff and workers of Extraordinary Families take extra time and care in service of the children and families within their caseload. They helped me create my family seven years ago and I’m back again to adopt another child. This is an exemplar non-profit and a role model for the industry.

Our family has had an amazing experience. We we trained well and shepherded through a complex process with integrity. The agency is respectful of all, including single parents, LGBTQ families and children. They respect biological
Families and support youth who have aged out of the foster care system. I cannot imagine going through our process without their guidance, insight and support.

Our experience with Extraordinary Families was extremely negative. The certification process was more difficult than necessary, usually due to delays that the organization created. The matching process was essentially left up to us to do on our own and we were lucky enough to get involved with Kidsave, an organization that truly cares about finding adoptive homes for kids. After we were matched, Extraordinary Families did very little for us at all. After we adopted our foster daughter, we were faced with a situation where her siblings were placed in our home on an emergency basis. We reached out to Extraordinary Families to help us get re-certified as soon as possible so that we could help these children, but Extraordinary Families refused to help and instead chose to decertify us. They offered no help whatsoever.

When my husband and I moved to Los Angeles, we went to the LGBT Center and asked which would be the most welcoming foster-adoption agency. The recommendation was Extraordinary Families.

We'd started the process in other places, with other agencies, and none felt like a good fit. The people at Extraordinary Families were entirely different. Their knowledge of what to expect was comforting, and they were entirely straightforward about the challenges to come. The staff was supportive throughout a long process.

I chose to serve on the board because I owe so much to Extraordinary Families. I can never repay the love I've been given. Our twin daughters turn 8 this weekend, and I am forever lucky to be their dad.

Six years ago, my husband and I were introduced to Extraordinary Families while seeking out an agency to assist us through the foster-adopt process. From day one, the staff at EF has been by our side throughout the entire process. It has been several years now since we adopted our second son through EF and they remain a wonderful presence in our lives --- once our social workers, often times our support group (even after adopting!) and most importantly, now a second family who we will always stay in touch with.
We are so thankful for the education they provided us and the guidance they offer and could imagine going through the foster-adopt process with anyone else. Many times we have had "ah-ha" moments when we realized "oh this is what they meant when they taught us about this in class" -- and we were able to better navigate the world before us. We are also thankful for the support they have given us even after our adoptions were finalized. They have always, always been there when we needed them -- even for the smallest bit of advice.
We are forever thankful to this remarkable organization for the work they do finding homes for children in need and can not recommend them enough for anyone looking to foster or foster-adopt.
Jason Peers

Where do I even begin... we were Introduced to Extraordinary Families thru some really good friends that had adopted their beautiful daughter thru them. We started are journey so excited and so hopeful but also so confused on how everything worked.

We met our adoption worker and our social worker from the agency and knew we were in the right hands. They walked us thru everything! From the first phone call, us saying yes and getting our son and all the court cases in between. They have been there physically and more importantly emotionally. I became friends with our social worker and actually looked forward to the visits.

This agency is a hidden gem! I am so lucky and thankful everyday for what they do for their families and more importantly the kids/babies in need.

We have since signed adoption paperwork and are almost to the end of this crazy journey. Without Extraordinary Families we would not have our son, we are eternally grateful.

As foster parents, we original chose this organization because of its phenomenal reputation. Throughout our 7 years working with this non-profit institution, we've come to appreciate and value the members as our own family. I have said this many times before, only a foster parent would understand the experience of another foster parent. Extraordinary Families was there to provide support, guidance and encouragement to all of its foster parents. We will be eternally grateful for the men/women who had dedicated their lives in running this organization.

Our family has been forever changed for the better through our experience with Extraordinary Families. They are incredibly caring, professional, and passionate about their work with and on behalf of children and families.

Everybody at Extraordinary Families this is dedicated and supportive. Everyone there was born to do that job, and helped us realize our dreams of a family!

We started with another adoption agency that folded right before we got certified. SCFFAA (now Extraordinary Families) took us in and guided us through the next steps of the process. We adopted two children through this agency and can't say enough good things about them. The process can be difficult and emotional, but they were there for us through the ups and downs.

The entire team at SCFFAA were all so helpful, supportive and encouraging during our adoption process. And even after the "finalization", continue to be a wonderful support system. Bodhi was placed with us at 3 months old, and now at 4, and in his second year of preschool, it's all still a bit amazing. When he is asleep, we still just look at him and think, "Oh my God, he is so good, so cute." If in the process, hang in there, you're in great hands!

What can we say? Thanks to SCFFAA, our family is now complete -- with both a boy and girl (they're wonderful) -- through foster/adoption. The SCFFAA team is compassionate, efficient, and professional. What would appear to be a daunting process is managable if you take it a step at a time with SCFFAA's help. Get started now.