The Need for Spanish-Speaking Foster Parents Grows in Chicago

Featured in La Raza newspaper, April 23, 2026! 

One Family Illinois and people like Carmen and Antonio Moyet and Tirsa Castellanos have raised numerous children and given them education, affection, and opportunities

When five Mexican siblings arrived at the home of Carmen Moyet and her husband Antonio, they were ready.

The couple, of Puerto Rican and Mexican roots, kept the refrigerator stocked, set clear rules and created a space where the five children could grow together. They stayed for years.

Two of the brothers eventually went to college. One is now completing his second master's degree. Another attends Northern Illinois University and still stops by to visit them.

"When you see them happy, that they come home happy and that they are getting ahead, that is the reward," said Carmen.

The Moyets have been foster parents with One Family Illinois for 12 years. The nonprofit, which has operated in the Chicago area for over three decades, is now urgently recruiting more families like his. Specifically, Spanish-speaking households.

The reason: more and more children entering the parenting system need them.

"We've seen an increase in Spanish-speaking foster children," said Kathy Wolf, the organization's director of communications. "It makes sense to pair them with Spanish-speaking foster parents. Children feel much more comfortable with someone who speaks their language and with whom they can identify."

One Family Illinois primarily serves children through the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. As of March 31, 2026, more than 1,800 Hispanic children are in the state's foster care system, with nearly700 identifying as Mexican, according to state data.

Pairing Spanish-speaking children with bilingual families does more than facilitate communication, Wolf said. It also helps preserve their cultural identity and maintain connection with their birth families during one of the most destabilizing times of their lives.

"That's definitely harder" without a common language, Wolf said. "And we need to be able to communicate with birthparents."

The organization also has Spanish-speaking social workers and case managers to help bridge those gaps.

Tirsa Castellanos, known as Ms. Gabby, first heard about the foster parent program at a Latino community college, where a recruiter explained the requirements: driver's license, clean record, high schooldiploma.

She realized that she complied with everyone.

Now, 12 years later, she has cared for children of almost all ages and backgrounds, from newborns to teenagers, including a young mother whom she supported during childbirth. That young woman and her baby lived with Castellanos for almost two years.

In her home, culture is constant. She cooks the Mexican dishes she grew up with: picadillo tostadas, taquitos dorados, adapting the flavors so that the children feel comfortable and at home.

But what she values most are the children who return.

"They call me before Thanksgiving to ask if they can come. Or they knock on my door," she said. "I say I did a good job because they came back."

One Family Illinois operates differently from other traditional parenting agencies, using what it calls a "community village model:" clusters of townhomes organized around a shared community space.

The organization has three such villages in the Chicago area: one in Lockport, another near the Medical District next to Pilsen, and one more in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

Each household can accommodate up to six children. Foster parents live close to each other, offering support as in a close-knit neighborhood: helping with picking up children from school, sharing tips, or meeting at the community center.

The model also solves a common challenge in the system: where to make family visits.

"If you're in an individual household, the foster parent is always looking for a neutral location," Wolf said. "Here isa private and comfortable space in the same place."

Keeping siblings together is central to the organization's mission, she added.

"When siblings stay together, it's much more comfortable for them," she said. "Birth parents don't have to go to different places or houses."

Foster parents with One Family Illinois receive a salary of approximately $25,000 a year. They are also provided with housing, utilities, food, and a vehicle, usually a minivan, at no cost, including gas and insurance. In addition, there are respite parents who allow families to take breaks, and they receive ongoing training, including CPR and trauma-informed care.

Spanish-speaking foster parents can also have up to two of their own children living in the home alongside foster children, Wolf said. Couples are welcome; It is not necessary to be a single parent.

Children typically stay in foster care for around 18 months, with the goal of reunifying with their birth family or finding a permanent home.

Antonio said he left his DJ career shortly after starting as a foster parent. His priority, he said, was clear.

"If DJing interferes with this, I'm quitting," he said. "My children come first."

Both he and Carmen emphasize that this work as a couple only works with total commitment, 100% of each one.

"It's a big sacrifice, a big commitment," he said.

They initially signed up for two years, they said, and have already signed up for 12.

Castellanos acknowledged that it can be difficult to see children with deep traumas, but she says that the reward is in seeing them grow and move forward. It also encourages more Latino families to take the plunge.

"If you come to do it honestly, being honest with yourself about your commitment, you're not going to feel it heavy," she said. "You are going to feel very comfortable. We are people who like to work and are not afraid of anything. So I say: wherever you are, come."

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To learn more about becoming a One Family Illinois foster parent, visit One Family Illinois | Become a Foster Parent.

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