June 23, 2000

"We treat all of them like they’re our own, we take them everywhere," said Mr. Hutson. Currently the Hutsons are foster parents for a 5-month-old little boy and they have no idea how long he’ll be with them. "We just love them, nurture them, and just knowing they are safe is what it’s all about," said Mrs. Hutson.

They’ve had babies as young as 2-days-old and the oldest child they took in was a 1-year-old. The longest they had a foster child in their care was nearly three years.

They say the Department of Health and Human Services needs more foster parents and they encourage anyone who loves children to step up to the challenge. You have to go through training to get licensed and then attend 10 hours of training a year to renew the license. The Hutsons say every year they have to get physicals, a fire inspection of their home, the health department tests the water, and a DHHS worker visits the child in their home every three months. The worker also has constant contact with them by telephone. In addition, DHHS gives foster parents a monthly payment to help cover the child’s medical care, diapers and toys.

The children in their care either have been adopted by other people or eventually returned to their parents.

Mr. Hutson, who started out working at the Randall Building mailroom has been a Correction employee for 21 years and hopes to retire in a few years. However, he says he’ll be a foster parent for as long as he’s physically able.

-pkw-