More foster families, birth parents cooperating (Iowa)

Ties that bind

By JESSE HELLING, Messenger Staff Writer

Though only 5 months old, Jacey Steinkuehler is already something of a trend setter.

Before Jacey was born, her mother, Jennifer Steinkuehler, a recovering meth addict, knew that she needed to get her life together before bringing up a new baby.

Upon entering the hospital, ‘‘I told them my whole story,’’ said Steinkuehler.

As a result, Baby Jacey became one of the more than 4,300 children in the Iowa foster care system.

Enter the Kraayenbrinks of Fort Dodge.

Around the time Jacey was born, Tim and Sally Kraayenbrink received licensure as foster parents.

‘‘We both love children and are interested in the needs of children,’’ said Sally Kraayenbrink, an educator and former principal of St. Paul Lutheran School in Fort Dodge.

Both of the Kraayenbrinks have siblings who are foster parents, she said.

‘‘It was never unusual at family gatherings to have foster children present,’’ Sally Kraayenbrink said.

Ultimately, it was the Kraayenbrink children — Jacy, Taylor and Ben — who encouraged their parents to open their home to foster children.

‘‘We all love babies,’’ said Taylor Kraayenbrink, a student at St. Edmond High School.

Jacey Steinkuehler became the Kraayenbrinks’ first foster daughter soon after her birth.

Even while Jacey lived with her foster family, her mother remained

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