Tammy and Greg Krivda have fostered more than 200 children in the past 12 years.

And although it's been difficult at times, Tammy Krivda has no regrets.

"I always wanted a large family, but for medical reasons we couldn't have any more," says Krivda, who has two teenage girls.

The Krivdas started fostering in Manitoba in 1991 and two years later moved to Yellowknife where they continue to foster today.

Krivda, president of the Yellowknife Foster Families Association, admits she had her doubts during the "lengthy" approval process.

"I think you hesitate 50 times before you actually call to say you're interested, and of course you hesitate all along," she says. "Not because you feel 'what have I got myself into?' but you feel 'I wonder if I'm qualified to deal with this.' "

She says fostering has been a positive experience for her birth children who, she believes, don't know any different.

"Probably they are exposed to a lot more social stuff than they would be, but at least it's in a controlled setting. I think they are more open -- they don't judge people and aren't afraid to approach people with disabilities."

She admits it has been hard on them but the girls get their own space, regardless of who moves into their five-bedroom bungalow. And she never fosters children who are older than her own, so the hierarchy is maintained.

Foster children are wards of the state and must remain anonymous, according to the GNWT.

The Krivda's five foster children who presently live in the house are between two and 15. Some of the kids have lived with her for nine years. Four of her five foster children are long-term placements.

But it hasn't always been so stable.

Before Yellowknife had a receiving home -- the first stop in the fostering process for children -- the Krivdas had a "revolving door" receiving home.

"A lot of those kids went home," she says. "Some came back into care in our house because it was a familiar place and others have never left."

And like birth children, some foster children still phone the Krivda home looking for advice or support.

Routine is the secret to running a large household, said Krivda.

"I see my role as being a coordinator. Of knowing where everybody is. That's what keeps me sane -- having a bit of input in everybody's life."

Krivda wakes up at 6:30 a.m. to feed the two-year-old and to get the rest up and ready for school.

She supervises them as they make their own lunches and then sends them out the door and on with their day.

Because several of her kids have special needs, Krivda spends the day taking them to appointments in the family's 15-passenger van while also doing the laundry, cleaning the house and keeping an eye on an active toddler.

At the end of the day the family has dinner together to maintain the supportive environment.

"Meal time is really important to me," said Krivda adding dinner is a time to connect with each other.

Fostering is more than a babysitting service. It takes dedication, compassion and patience.

The ideal family has one parent staying at home, can be assertive and act as an advocate for the child, have a consistent routine, have a good understanding of child development and have a sense of humour, said Yellowknife Foster Family Association executive director Anne Kennedy.

The association is operated by a board of foster parents who aim to promote, educate and support fostering in this community.

"It's a very direct way for families and parents to make a difference," said Kennedy. "The rewards are so big."

There are between 40 and 50 foster families and between 120 and 150 foster kids in Yellowknife at any one time, said Kennedy.

And the system is always in need of new families of all shapes and sizes who can take as few or as many kids they feel comfortable with.

"We can always use more homes because the more homes you have, the greater the ability to make the best match," said Kennedy. "Instead of taking the only vacancy we can find we can place the child where the child's needs are met."

In NWT a high percentage of the children in foster care are aboriginal but there are few aboriginal foster families to place them in.

The association tries to meet the needs of aboriginal children by providing educational experiences about their culture, language and land-based skills.

This summer the YFFA hopes to host a summer camp -- Camp Connections -- which will focus on aboriginal education.

With fostering, the needs of the child is always paramount. Children are often coming from a traumatic situation, have special health needs or social needs that weren't being met in the home.

The foster family needs to make the adjustment as stressless as possible and to provide plenty of care and attention.

"The key there is consistent care so the child's needs are going to be met," said Kennedy.

Location a challenge

Besides finding willing families, fostering in NWT faces many geographical and resource-based challenges.

The biggest issue for families located in smaller communities is isolation, said Kennedy.

The YFFA is trying to alleviate that issue by providing a "warm line" to connect families to services and support. The organization is also establishing a territorial foster family coalition, which will be electing its first board this spring.

Although the association -- specifically Krivda -- created a fostering manual a few years ago, Kennedy said there is a need for more training, especially pre-service training.

"(Pre-service training) allows for ongoing learning for the family of what fostering is really like," she said, adding providing realistic expectations for candidates is important for successful fostering.

"Sometimes families have unrealistic expectations of what it will be like and then they end up burning out or quitting."

After a family has been accepted -- a process that could take six months to a year -- some basic training is provided but often not in a timely fashion, said Kennedy.

It is a bit easier being a foster family in Yellowknife because there are more resources available.

Besides being the association's base, parents have access to family councillors, a toy-lending program, social services and support groups.

"Although we could use more of these services, they are here," said Kennedy.

In the smaller communities there is often only one child protection worker who also does a variety of other jobs like probation officer.

"They often don't have time for foster parents."

Foster kids on the decline

The number of kids in foster care is at an all-time low in Yellowknife, said Les Harrison, director of community and family services for the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority.

In January 2002 there were 153 children in care. By December that number dropped to 112 children either in foster care or group care in Yellowknife.

"This is the first-time there's been a decrease in the last few years," said Harrison, adding the statistics go back over four years.

He credits new methods and demographics with the decline.

"The efforts of the staff to keep kids in households and plug in resources is the reason for the decrease," he said.

"It's an excellent trend," he said. "It's the direction we are trying to go as a program."