Marshall
Waiting
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Reina
Matched
Where hope finds a home.
Reina: generous, observant, adventuresome, this warm-hearted, talented girl is a giving soul. Whether giving smiles to friends or random acts of kindness to strangers or gifting her caregivers with flowers, Reina is the kind of person who thinks of others first and wants to spread happiness. A true empath, Reina truly listens to people, tries to understand what they are feeling and does her best to help them. Reina studies people and understands how to motivate a group to accomplish a goal. Her caregivers agree, she is a joy to be with; fun, happy and hopeful despite her past. Reina is a talented singer and is learning how to play the harp, which she is extremely proud of. Intelligent and tenacious, Reina attends a magnet school for the arts and loves science and music. While most children sit in the car staring at screens, Reina stares out the window, trying to identify the clouds she just learned in science class. One of her superpowers is figuring out how things work. This applies to mechanical things like resetting the locks on her diary when the instructions were lost or securing the broken straps of a friend's purse. Reina works hard, with people and at school. She is protective and loving towards her brothers and longs for a forever family and a secure, emotionally safe place to thrive. With her outgoing personality and intelligence, Reina will do best with clearly articulated boundaries and warm understanding. She wants her future family to understand that family connections are important to her and will need to be nurtured.
Photographer
Studio 860 Photography
Studio 860 Photography specializes in Tampa family photography, Tampa senior photography, child photography, and headshot photography.
Photographer
Daniel Wallace
FAQs
If a child in foster care is in the Heart Gallery, reunification with their biological family was not possible so an adoptive family is needed. Most Heart Gallery children are at least 9 years old, part of a sibling group, and/or have special needs. All children in foster care have experienced abuse, abandonment, and/or neglect; therefore, need support to heal from the trauma they have experienced.
All children are different, with a variety of unique strengths and needs so all types of families are needed. In Florida, you must be at least 21 to adopt a child from foster care. There are no restrictions based on age, race, marital status, or sexual orientation. You may live in a home or apartment that you own or rent. Adoptive parents must have a stable income sufficient to support their family.
In Florida, there is no cost to adopt a child from foster care. In fact, families who adopt may qualify for a monthly adoption subsidy. Health care for children adopted from foster care is covered by Medicaid until age 18. They also receive free tuition at any Florida state college, university, or vocational school.
Federal tax credits and exemptions may also be available. Visit the IRS website to learn more.
Prospective adoptive parents must complete Adoption Orientation, a 36-hour Professional Parenting course, have an approved home study, and approved background screenings. Most importantly, you must be willing to make a lifelong commitment to a child in need.
Yes. One of the benefits of adopting from Florida is having access to a comprehensive case history. You will be given information on the child’s background, medical history, and personality. This information helps you determine if your family is the right fit for the child.
This can vary greatly depending on the situation. However, as a general rule, it usually takes about 12 months from the time a family begins training to the time when a child is placed with the family.
Yes! Your approved home study should be accepted by any child welfare agency. Each circumstance will be assessed to determine if it is appropriate for a child to move out of state. Keep in mind these adoptions can be more complex and take longer, depending on the case.
Adoptions appear to be more stable when parents have flexible and realistic expectations for their children and when they use post-adoption supports to help with challenges.
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