Kevin and Ashley Barrett have a full house. The couple has five biological children – Kevin Jr. (8), Elijah (6), Titus (4), Naomi (2), and Moses (6 months) – and they are also fostering three little girls.
Kevin and Ashley have both worked for Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries since December 2019.
Hired on as case managers at The Hill, they have gone on to serve in other roles as our ministry has evolved. Kevin now serves as a Family Advocate with our Foster Care Services team and Ashley is a licensing specialist. They came to Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries from Nebraska, where they served around 50 teenagers through their work at Boys Town and Omaha Home for Boys.
Serving children from hard places has been the couple’s professional work for a long time. This lead them to pursue becoming a licensed foster family at their own home last spring.
They completed their training and licensing process, but Ashley says they weren’t actively looking to foster. Ashley gave birth to their fifth child, Moses, in September, so it had been a busy season for their family.
“Since we both work in foster care we were trying to just kind of be patient,” Ashley said. “We didn’t want to take a way from anybody else’s opportunity to serve a child that they thought was a good fit for them. We have a pretty young family, so we wanted to be available in the event that it would be helpful.”
The need for foster families in Howard County is great. According to the February 2021 report from Missouri Children’s Division, there are currently 45 Howard County children in foster care, but only five licensed homes in Howard County. This means the majority of Howard County children in care are having to be placed outside the county where they live.
In February, Ashley and Kevin received a phone call about a brand new baby in need of a home.
“They needed a foster parent in Howard County and we were the only ones available who could have taken the baby,” Ashley said.
The Barretts prepared to say ‘yes,’ but then were told they wouldn’t be needed.
“It didn’t work out,” Ashley said. “It was kind of strange and crazy. I was like, ‘Okay, you know Lord. You’re in control.'”
The Barretts know firsthand that things can change quickly in the foster care world. This case was no different. A day after being told they did not need the Barrett’s help with this baby girl, the caseworker called back, and asked if they would still be willing.
At six days old, little baby Peyton* came to their home, weighing just six pounds.
*names changed for sake of privacy
The Barretts began to adjust to life with six kids instead of five. Kevin and Ashley’s older boys are accustomed to helping with younger siblings and adjusted quickly. The diapers and middle of the night feedings doubled. Ashley could be seen around the office with a car seat on each arm.
Then, a week later, the Barretts got another call.
The caseworker wanted to know if they would be willing to take Peyton’s cousins, a brand new baby and her 2-year-old sister. Knowing the power of keeping family members together, the Barretts said yes to two more little girls, Bella* and Danielle*.
This meant more diapers, more middle of the night feedings, more laundry, and more pacifiers. But despite the fullness of their home, they have adjusted, and Kevin said he has been pleasantly surprised by how God is at work.
“I always said I would never foster because I just didn’t think I would be able to give the love that I have for my own kids to other people’s kids,” Kevin said. “Once the baby came in and had been here for a while, she just became our own. We just treated her the same as our bio kids.”
You can support foster families like the Barretts in your own communities and neighborhoods. If you are interested in providing a meal for a foster family, contact Paige today.
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