About us
Connecting Kids. Empowering Families.
We’re a nonprofit using innovative technology to help child welfare professionals find and connect families with kids in foster care.
How it all started
We wondered…
If the U.S. military uses advanced technology to keep Americans safe by tracking the bad actors and their networks who pose a threat to national security, could we apply the same technology and techniques to find family and community connections that would keep our most vulnerable children safe?
When Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, then a nuclear physicist and White House fellow, read an article in TIME magazine about the most successful techniques to find permanent, loving families for children in need, she immediately saw the place where national security and child welfare intersect.
At the same time, Jessica Stern, a management professional, was building her own family tree to learn more about why she and her seven siblings were placed in three different foster homes across three different towns. Her discovered family history would lead to healing from childhood trauma while laying a strong foundation to start her own family.
The experiences of our founders were the beginning of Connect Our Kids. By bringing together technologists and child welfare advocates, we create technology-based solutions that help those who help children in foster care. Our platform fills a gap in the system, accelerating the support and caring relationships that change lives and help heal trauma.
Our Mission
Connect Our Kids provides modern technology to help professionals find loving extended family members and build social capital for vulnerable children and their families.
Meet Our Team
