aVillageFor foster, adoptive & kinship families
Asking for help shouldn't be the hardest part
People do want to help. What they don't know is what would actually help, this week, for you. aVillage is where you say it once — and where the answer comes back with a name on it.
What you can ask for
Small, specific, and actually answerable
The village is bad at “let me know if you need anything.” It is very good at “Tuesday, 3pm, a ride to the county office.”
A need, with a real shape
What, when, and how many people. It fills up and closes itself, so nobody shows up to find three other casseroles on the porch.
Meals that know your house
Allergies, the delivery window, whether to knock. Written once, shown to everyone who claims a night.
A circle, not a congregation
Some asks belong to six people who already know you. Post to your care circle and only the circle hears it.
The closet, without the ask
Request what a placement needs — sizes, not stories. Requests are visible only to you and the coordinators, and are never republished with your notes attached.
The licensing steps, in order
If you're still becoming licensed: your state's steps, what you can start today, and what genuinely has to wait.
Your household, your record
A card for each person at home, and a placement you open when a child arrives and close when they leave — kept as history, not deleted.
What the church can and can't see
Your children's details never leave your account
This is the part people ask about first, so here it is plainly.
- A foster child's name, birth date and photo are readable only by your own account. Not church staff. Not other members. Not other churches.
- A child's name is optional — leave it blank and the app shows the relationship instead.
- Photos are stored privately and shown through links that expire.
- You choose what to share upward. A need can say “a ride Tuesday” without saying anything about a child.
- You can report any content and block any person without asking a leader.
No community yet?
You don't need a church that already uses aVillage
Tell us where you are and what kind of support you're looking for. We'll show you communities near you that are open to families, and you can ask to join one. Their leaders see the request and decide — you're never added to something without being let in.
- Answer a few questions before you even make an account
- Communities are matched on what they offer, never by handing over your coordinates
- A community only appears if it chose to be listed and is open to families
Already have a code?
If your church is in aVillage, a ministry leader has a 6-character join code — or a QR you can scan from the screen at the front of the room. That's the whole sign-up.
For volunteers
You wanted to help. Here's the list.
You don't have to be a foster parent to be somebody's village. Most of what a family needs is an evening, a car, or a trip to the store — and the hard part has always been knowing which one, and when.
- See what's open this week and claim exactly one thing
- Reminders before the day, so nothing quietly falls through
- Everything you've committed to in one place
- Serving and being served aren't exclusive — families who want to help see the helper side too
Questions families ask
Does it cost me anything?
No. aVillage is always free for members and families, on every plan. Only the church organization ever contributes, and small churches don't either.
Do I have to tell the church about my placement?
No. The household roster — every card for a child, including names, birth dates and photos — is readable only by your own account. What reaches the church is what you choose to post: a need, a meal train, a note to your circle.
What if the help stops being helpful?
Close the need, or don't post one. Nothing in aVillage nags a family or reports on them, and nothing tracks whether you asked for anything this month.
If a person is the problem, you can block them yourself — 1:1 messages from them are refused on the server, and their posts stop appearing for you — without involving a leader.
We're kinship, not licensed foster parents. Is this for us?
Yes. Kinship and adoptive families are first-class throughout — the roster, the circles, the needs, the closet. The licensing journey is there if you're pursuing it and simply stays out of the way if you're not.
Can I use it on a phone?
iPhone, Android, and any browser — the same account and the same data. Texts are optional and off until you turn them on with a verified number.