A Safe Haven

by Laura Breen Galante 

Serving Central Florida foster children is a family affair for The Key Haven Families Child Placement Agency.

Since 2010, the family-run nonprofit agency has cared for more than 300 kids in Central Florida. But the family’s outreach efforts started years prior. Shawna Edwards, executive director of Key Haven, has always shared both her home and her heart with foster children.

Her parents, Shawn and Jonna Downs – president and vice president of Key Haven – operated a similar child placement agency in Colorado before moving to Florida. Growing up, Shawna and her three siblings lived with four foster siblings.

“We had eight children in the home,” she says. “It was just something that we’ve always done.”

When Shawna and her parents moved to Seminole County, they continued their outreach by establishing Key Haven, which currently operates two large-family, traditional foster homes in Sanford, says Shawna. The homes are operated by foster parents who live with the children.

“We enjoy parenting and mentoring kids,” says Shawna. “We provide loving care and work with each child on their level.”

The Need Is Real 

In addition, Key Haven supports other community members in their journey to become foster parents. The agency offers training classes and walks would-be foster parents through the licensure process. 

Key Haven was originally under contract with Embrace Families, which since 2004 had been the main community-based child welfare lead agency serving Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. In 2024, Embrace Families ceased operations, and Family Partnerships of Central Florida took over that role.

“Key Haven Families is now contracted with Family Partnerships of Central Florida in Seminole, Osceola, and Orange counties to license foster parents for these areas,” explains Shawna.

The need for additional foster parents in our community has never been greater, stresses Shawna.

“We’re really trying to help the community establish more foster homes,” she says. “Our goal is to make the journey to becoming a foster parent as seamless and accessible as possible for those in Lake Mary and the surrounding areas.”

A Supportive Team 

Those considering becoming foster parents will have the full support of Key Haven. The agency operates in the background to assist and mentor foster parents, who can lean on the Key Haven team for advice about how to best care for children with medical needs, IEPs (individual education plans) for learning diagnoses, or social challenges. The team also deals with the court system.

 “A lot of the children have a guardian ad litem from the court and dependency case managers,” says Shawna. “The foster mom’s duty is to take care of the children in the home, love them, and feed them. We are there to be their guiding support for whatever they need.”

Caregivers from Key Haven oversee the health, well-being, and proper nutritional care of foster children; offer emotional and vocational support, supervision, transportation, and case management; and assist with recreational and extracurricular activities, schooling, and independent living skills. 

Shawna even uses her online social media presence to seek donations for the kids, who often come into foster care with nothing except the clothes on their backs.

From training to licensure, it usually takes about three to six months to be approved to foster a child, depending on schedules and how motivated the future foster parents are. Foster parents can request a certain age group to care for, from babies to teenagers. 

Key Haven also helps local children and parents in a myriad of other ways.

“We’ve counseled biological parents and assisted in reunifications when the courts have deemed it’s in the best interest of the kids,” says Shawna. “We’ve helped with adoptions. We’ve cared for sibling groups, and we’ve helped a lot of kids get into college.”

Adds Shawna, “Right now we’re focused on locating loving families that have been blessed enough to give back to others who haven’t been as fortunate and can’t take care of their kids. Every child deserves a loving home.”

If you or someone you know is considering fostering, please visit KeyHavenFamilies.com to learn more.