Legacy Ranch takes in more children after solving staffing issues

After having been short staffed at Legacy Ranch, an organization that provides a home to neglected children, the foster care organization has now been able to house an additional 28 children. This comes after executive director Stacy Palm reached out for new hires online. Legacy Ranch has hired 25 new people and, with that help, they now can house more children

“Foster parenting is very different than parenting, you’re dealing with traumatized children, you’re dealing with emotions of removal and the children are going through a grieving process,” said Palm. “It’s literally going into the fire and working with that child so that they can have peace and stability.”

Palm wants to assure people who are hesitant about fostering that attachment is inevitable, but it’s important to put the child first.

“It’s a grieving process, you’re going to go through it and it hurts, and you get attached, but you have to think about the children. You have to take yourself out of the equation,” Palm said. “It’s so much worse to not have a bed to lay your head than it is to be heartbroken. Always look at it from those eyes and not your own.”

Legacy Ranch houses 105 children and is an emergency shelter which focuses on sibling groups that can go to one home. 

“We make sure our campus is not set up like a facility, we are not locked down,” Palm said. “We have a policy to allow the children to feel like they are in home. We have different homes on the property and we have live-in house parents that will stay with the children full time and work with those children.”

The children that are housed there mostly come in extreme circumstances.

“Children come to care, the majority of the time, in the evening. Oftentimes, they come in with just the clothes on their back and that’s all we know,” Palm said.

The information on the child then gets sent to the state.

“When you see the children come in this condition, you have to do it (care) in a way that you don’t shame the children,” Palm said. “You need specific compassionate people that will speak calmy to them and assure them they will get through this.”

Legacy Ranch also has horses on the property for therapeutic measures for the children. As a result, they have an equestrian program that helps in the assistance of horse rescue.

“That is so therapeutic for them because they get to care for an animal and they work through things as they’re doing this,” Palm said. “It’s really incredible to watch and see.”

Everyone who is interested in applying to Legacy Ranch must pass a background check. They are still hiring. For child care specialist, you do not need a degree, just a passion for helping children. A social worker, however, requires a four-year degree.

“It’s a very good competitive pay to what is offered in the state,” Palm said. “We are in the community, we hire local.”

Legacy Ranch does accept donations and will be hosting a toy drive this Christmas. Sponsorship is always welcome.