“We’re the only family they know,” Alice Kurtz says about all the children they have welcomed into their home.
Alice and Dave have been foster parents for the last 11 years, with 10 years as Therapeutic Foster parents with Catholic Charities. Therapeutic Foster Care, otherwise known as HCTC, is specialized foster care for children who have experienced trauma. The children who are admitted into an HCTC home have high behavioral health needs directly related to trauma they have endured. After the child and/or the child’s parents have worked with the Therapeutic foster family and the local behavioral health team, they return home to their families or step down to a regular foster home. HCTC is a reimbursable service paid for by AHCCCS. This level of care keeps the children in a family setting while getting the therapies they need.
Alice and Dave started their foster care journey by doing informal foster care for family friends who were going through difficult situations. Their friends at church recommended they look into becoming official foster parents through Catholic Charities.
Alice and Dave have welcomed more than 23 children into their homes, all of them with extremely different backgrounds and needs. Some children have been in more than 40 foster family homes before coming to Alice and Dave. Their passion for helping these children is obvious in their voices as they go above and beyond to provide the best care for each member of their household. They have helped children soar academically as well as turn their lives around with productive habits and hobbies.
“That was a 180-degree turn for this girl,” Dave says about how he helped a sexually abused nine-year old discover her talent for gymnastics.
He took her to the YMCA twice a week while she was in their care. He recently learned she won a gymnastics tournament after going to live with her grandparents. Story after story, Alice and Dave have changed the lives of each child who enters their home.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do it without our training.” Dave explains while remembering his first experience as a foster parent. “I would’ve quit early on if it wasn’t for the training provided by Catholic Charities.” As therapeutic foster parents, Alice and Dave were provided intense training to prepare them for any situation and continue to receive support for each child they take into their care.
“And they still care,” Alice says as tears roll down her face. “Even after they’re gone, they still call me and send me cards on Mother’s Day. They still care.”
If you are interested in learning more about Therapeutic Foster Care/HCTC please contact Candace Lea at 480-599-1856 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For interest in Foster Care in Yavapai, Coconino, Mohave, Apache and Navajo Counties please call 928-708-7227 or email Kylee Cosgrove at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
