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Tag: child and family services agency

  • Her mom was in foster care, now she’s paying it forward – WTOP News

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    A daughter’s love: What drives the acting head of D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency to do what she does.

    Tanya Torres Trice and her mother, who was in foster care. (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

    Tanya Torres Trice has spent nearly the last 17 years working for the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency.

    The licensed social worker, who is currently the CSFA’s acting director, started her career on the front line as a case carrying supervisor.

    Trice told WTOP that Mayor Muriel Bowser’s goal is keep families together, which is an objective that is near and dear to her heart.

    “My mom was in foster care. She never was adopted,” said Trice. “A special social worker kept my mom and her family together.”

    Those three sentences would not only create Trice’s career path, which included getting her master’s degree in social work from Western Michigan University, but it would cause her to look at foster kids in a special way.

    “In their faces I see my mom,” said Trice. “I see in them a chance. I see love. I see in them the opportunity to just be connected to something so big and important and that will last their lifetime.”

    At a celebration on the 39th National Adoption Day, the agency shined a spotlight on the more than 60 children and youth that now have a forever family.

    While there are 530 kids in D.C. who are in foster care, Trice pointed out that 100 of them are ready for adoption and they are always looking for foster families.

    “I don’t want any kid to stay in foster care any longer than they have to, and I know that there are people out there that are really willing to step up and give love and support to the family,” said Trice.

    According to Trice, the age range of the children go from infant to 18 — and some to 21.

    Trice said she truly loves her job and working with everyone at the agency, along with Bowser’s leadership.

    “My why is much bigger than me, and I am here to just continue making sure families can stay together,” said Trice.

    If you have room in your heart and home for a foster child, visit the Child and Family Services Agency website or call 202-671-LOVE.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jimmy Alexander

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  • DC celebrates National Adoption Day – WTOP News

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    On Saturday, the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency hosted a party celebrating the 39th National Adoption Day.

    On Saturday, the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency hosted a party celebrating the 39th National Adoption Day.

    Dionne’s Good Food on Oak Drive SE was packed with families enjoying food, face painting, balloon animals, games and dance performances.

    The event honored the children and youth who were adopted in Washington, D.C. over the last fiscal year.

    “We had 63 this year, they found their forever families,” said Tanya Torres Trice, acting director of Child and Family Services. “Today they have forever families.”

    One of those adoptions that happened this year was in May, that’s when Darryl Wise became Christopher’s father.

    “The first time I laid eyes on Christopher is when he was placed with me,” said Wise. “He looked at me crying. I looked at him crying.”

    Wise smiled and said he and the now 20-month-old both agreed to take on this together.

    Wise, who himself was in foster care, said he was taken in by a wonderful foster family who taught him to pay it forward.

    The oldest person to be adopted in D.C. this year was 18-year-old Olivia Thomas.

    She met her mom thanks to school friends, who are now her sisters.

    “It was one of the best moments of my life,” said Olivia. “I finally found the stability and everything else I’ve been looking for my whole life and I finally got it with her.”

    Brnadine Thomas-Brown, who has five other living children, said as soon as Olivia walked through her door three years ago, she was her daughter.

    “I told her you never have to worry about being abused, about being hurt, being belittled or anything. I’m only gonna give you my love,” said Thomas-Brown.

    With pride, Olivia’s mom bragged about her grades and said she’s already been accepted in several colleges.

    There are 520 children in foster care in the District of Columbia and few understand what goes into the effort to take care of them more than Ann Reilly, who is Deputy of In and Out Care at Child and Family Services.

    “Days like today we hold on to for all the hard days in between,” said Reilly. “I adopted my daughter Natasha in 2014 at Adoption Day. She was 19 years old, she turned 30 years old last Friday.”

    If you would like to bring love into your house and family through adoption visit cfsa.dc.gov or call 202-671-LOVE.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jimmy Alexander

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