A Waldorf grandmother raising her one-year-old granddaughter is among the kinship caregivers Maryland officials highlighted this month as the state marks progress in placing foster children with relatives rather than strangers.
Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Department of Human Services used September’s National Kinship Care Month to spotlight data showing the state’s 2024 Kinship Care Law and its accompanying Family Matters initiative have significantly increased the number of children placed with family members while in the foster care system. As of July 2026, 50% of Maryland foster children under age 10 were living with kin, up from 34.5% in July 2024 — an increase representing more than 230 additional children who remained connected to relatives rather than entering non-family foster placements. Counting all ages, the number of youth living with kin has grown by more than 440 since the law took effect, with the overall kinship placement rate climbing 46% over that period.
Among the caregivers DHS featured was Sumeana Leslie of Waldorf, who cares for her one-year-old granddaughter. “A kinship caretaker’s job may come about as instantly as oatmeal in a package and the time period may last as short or long as a scraped knee,” Leslie said in the DHS announcement. “But what will last a lifetime is the unconditional love and memories as a result of the care you chose to give.”
The law’s biggest structural change may be to licensing. Because caregivers must be licensed both to care for DHS-involved youth and to qualify for financial support, the state says it worked to remove barriers that had kept many kinship caregivers from becoming licensed at all. The share of licensed kinship caregivers statewide rose from 25% in December 2024 to 88% as of September 2026, according to DHS — a jump the agency previously reported reaching 86% as of last December before continuing to climb this year. DHS said it has put an additional $5 million toward supporting kinship caregivers as a result of the licensing changes.
Gov. Moore framed the numbers as evidence the state’s approach is working. “Our administration is dedicated to building communities that leave no one behind, and that means we must ensure children in Maryland feel supported and safe,” Moore said. “By placing foster kids with their relatives, neighbors and trusted adults, we are providing them the proper support systems and care they need to go forward and seize every opportunity to realize their potential.”
DHS Acting Secretary Stacy L. Rodgers, who has described herself as a former kinship caregiver, tied the numbers to child well-being. “With half of Maryland’s youngest children remaining with family during their most formative years, we are better serving families and improving the well-being of children in our care,” Rodgers said. Research on child welfare outcomes generally finds children placed with relatives are more likely to achieve stability through reunification, guardianship or adoption than children placed with non-relative foster families, and DHS cited that research in explaining its “kin-first” placement approach, which prioritizes keeping children connected to their existing schools, communities and extended families whenever possible.
The state’s push has been aided by a family-finding software system the department rolled out to help caseworkers locate potential kinship placements faster than manual searches allowed, a tool credited with helping identify thousands of previously unknown family connections for children in care.
Not every caregiver featured in DHS’s announcement was local: Cheryl Minnick of Oakland, in Western Maryland’s Garrett County, described adopting her granddaughter Emma this August after first serving as her kinship caregiver. “When I got the call that Emma needed help, I did everything in my power to be there for her,” Minnick said. “My main focus in life became taking care of my grandbaby. She’ll always know where she came from and who her family is. It gives me hope that Maryland is prioritizing keeping children with their families.”
