How We Serve

TSC works with local communities to create trauma-informed outdoor spaces & experiences that help foster families heal, connect, and belong — all shaped by nature and strengthened by community.

Illustration of a family enjoying outdoor activities during sunny weather, with children playing, a person tending to flowers, and a person petting a rooster on a grassy area.
Illustration of two children playing outside on a grassy hill with trees and the sun shining in the sky.
A gray house with a triangular roof, surrounded by green bushes and a flower garden with yellow and red flowers. In the yard, there are three chickens, a small vegetable patch with green plants, and two children on a seesaw
Five people standing on a grassy area with trees flowering in the background, holding gardening tools like shovels, rakes, and a pitchfork at night with a full moon.
Illustration depicting the progression of a community from farming and gardening to larger homes, churches, and social activities.

Scroll down or click on the icons above to learn more about each of the ways we serve foster families.

Visits & Gatherings

Illustration of a family-friendly outdoor scene at night with a bright yellow moon, bushes with yellow flowers, and various people engaged in different activities: one person picking a flower, two people playing with a ball, two children playing in a sandbox, a person kissing a chicken, and two children dancing.

TSC hosts gatherings throughout the year — like Open Play Days, family visits, court-ordered visits, and adoption celebrations — that create space for foster families to slow down, connect, and breathe. And when appropriate, others are invited to join in, celebrating milestones, memories, and everyday moments outdoors.

    • Create safe, predictable outdoor spaces where kids can relax, play, and simply be kids

    • Offer natural opportunities to reconnect with family of origin (siblings, parents) in a calm, outdoor setting

    • Build trust and connection through shared experiences that feel natural and low-pressure

    • Replace difficult memories with positive ones rooted in fun, safety, and belonging

    • Encourage emotional healing through unstructured play and time in nature

    • Remind every child that they are seen, valued, and surrounded by people who care

    • Provide consistent opportunities to breathe, connect, and recharge together as a family

    • Support both bio children and children in care through shared outdoor experiences that build unity and understanding

    • Ease isolation by connecting caregivers with others who understand the realities of foster parenting

    • Strengthen family rhythms and relationships through predictable, trauma-informed gatherings

    • Offer practical, accessible ideas for supporting children with different backgrounds and needs

    • Help caregivers feel part of a stable, caring network that stands beside them

    • Build awareness and empathy among those unfamiliar with the realities of foster care

    • Create a culture of belonging where healing is shared — and everyone plays a role

    • Model what trauma-informed, community-based care can look like in everyday life

    • Offer volunteers and partners meaningful, hands-on opportunities to serve and connect

    • Strengthen bridges among families, professionals, and community supporters

    • Give caseworkers, therapists, and advocates a natural, welcoming setting to engage with families outside traditional environments

Close-up of a smiling young girl with natural hair holding a graham cracker with whipped cream, showing remnants of whipped cream on her face and chocolate-covered teeth, outdoors on a sunny day.
A large group of people gathered in a backyard lawn, participating in a celebration or party, with string lights overhead and surrounded by trees.
Two children are playing with small pebbles on a wooden outdoor table.

Every visit & gathering reminds us that healing happens over time, with intention, and through connection — and that every family deserves to be supported and seen.

Outdoor Space Consultations

Simple illustration of two children playing outside on a sunny day, with trees in the background.

TSC offers Outdoor Space Consultations to help foster families optimize their outdoor spaces — making their yards safer, more welcoming, more engaging, and trauma-informed. Each consult begins with listening — understanding how a family hopes to live and spend time outside — then shaping simple, practical ideas that turn their yard into a space for rest, play, and connection.

    • Put healing within reach — creating safe, trauma-informed outdoor spaces right outside their door

    • Create predictable environments that help kids feel calm, secure, and grounded

    • Encourage healthy play, exploration, and confidence through nature-based design

    • Offer sensory-friendly elements that support regulation and reduce anxiety

    • Build consistency and stability that strengthens day-to-day well-being

    • Bring trauma-informed care home through outdoor spaces designed for real family life

    • Make it easier to step outside together — building simple rhythms of calm, connection, and play

    • Support both foster and bio children through shared outdoor experiences that strengthen relationships

    • Equip caregivers with practical tools, ideas, and next steps that fit their capacity and space

    • Restore a sense of pride, ownership, and peace in the place they call home

    • Make it easier for foster families to invite others into their outdoor space — family, friends, and neighbors

    • Give others a clearer, more personal understanding of the daily realities of foster care

    • Spark empathy that leads to more proactive, thoughtful, and ongoing support

    • Inspire others to create spaces of their own that foster belonging, connection, and care

Close-up of a large, orange dahlia flower with layered petals in a garden setting.
Three people working on architectural plans at a wooden table, with blueprints, a tablet, and writing materials.
A young boy watering plants in a garden with a garden hose on a sunny day.

Every consultation helps families see what’s possible and gives them the next steps to bring it to life — showing that healing and belonging often begin right outside their back door.

Yard Refresh Days

Five people planting and tending to a garden with flowering bushes and a bright sun in the sky.

TSC’s Yard Refresh Days give foster families renewed outdoor spaces through small but focused volunteer projects. These one-day efforts restore safety, beauty, and ease — making it easier for families to spend consistent time outside together at home. Rooted in trauma-informed care, these projects create quick, meaningful impact that lasts long after the day is done.

    • Restore safe, welcoming outdoor areas where kids can relax, play, and explore — at home.

    • Provide calming, sensory-rich spaces that help regulate emotions and build confidence

    • Support stability by keeping familiar outdoor areas cared for, clean, and ready to use

    • Encourage more time outdoors where curiosity, connection, and joy naturally grow

    • Help children see home as a place of safety and beauty — a visible reminder that people care about them and their story

    • Reduce the stress and burden of outdoor maintenance — freeing time and energy for what matters most

    • Keep outdoor spaces easier and safer to use, encouraging more time together outside

    • Offer visible reminders of care and support, especially during challenging seasons

    • Strengthen family rhythms and calm at home by keeping spaces functional and trauma-informed

    • Restore a sense of pride and peace in the place they call home

    • Give volunteers and local employers meaningful, hands-on ways to serve foster families together

    • Strengthen workplace culture and morale through purpose-driven service experiences

    • Build awareness of foster care needs within companies and community groups, sparking ongoing engagement

    • Foster empathy and understanding as volunteers connect directly with families they may not otherwise meet

    • Create visible reminders across neighborhoods that when a community shows up, families grow stronger

A person in a gray t-shirt, cap, and glasses inspecting a large pile of dried palm fronds outdoors with trees in the background.
Three men standing outdoors in a green, leafy area, smiling. They are dressed casually with tools and gear, suggesting they are working on a landscaping or gardening project.
A young child with hair in pigtails, wearing a black shirt, red pants, and purple sneakers, walking up outdoor stone steps surrounded by green bushes.

Through Yard Refresh Days, volunteers give foster families the gift of time and rest — and walk away with a deeper understanding of foster care and how to support families well.

Backyard Makeovers

Five people holding gardening tools in a garden with blooming bushes and a yellow sun overhead.

TSC’s Backyard Makeovers are transformative projects that reimagine foster families’ outdoor spaces — creating lasting places of healing, play, and connection. Designed through a trauma-informed lens, each makeover brings together volunteers, partners, and neighbors in a true barn-raising spirit, turning overlooked or hard-to-use yards into beautiful, functional spaces where families can live more fully together at home.

    • Turn everyday yards into spaces that feel safe, steady, and full of possibility

    • Encourage play, curiosity, and exploration in environments designed to calm and inspire

    • Show kids that people care about them — and took time to create something just for their family

    • Build confidence, imagination, and healing through consistent, unhurried time outdoors

    • Help children associate home with safety, joy, and a sense of belonging

    • Remove barriers that keep families from enjoying their outdoor spaces — extending “home” beyond the walls of the house

    • Reflect each family’s story, needs, and rhythms through trauma-informed designs that genuinely fit their life

    • Give caregivers the gift of rest and relief through spaces that feel peaceful, practical, and personal

    • Offer a daily reminder that they’re seen, supported, and valued

    • Strengthen relationships with the neighbors, volunteers, and friends who helped bring their space to life

    • Bring volunteers, partners, and local businesses together to make a meaningful, lasting difference

    • Strengthen community bonds through teamwork and shared purpose

    • Give volunteers and employers a firsthand look at foster care — and how they can support families well

    • Inspire ongoing service, advocacy, and care long after the project ends

    • Provide a visible neighborhood reminder that beautiful things happen when a community shows up together

Please check out the video below to learn even more about TSC’s Backyard Makeovers.

Five women outdoors in a yard with trees and a fence, holding gardening tools and posing with flexed arms, smiling.
An elderly man pouring Quikrete concrete mix into a post hole for a fence post while working outdoors. A person nearby is holding a shovel, and there is a partially constructed wooden fence post in the background.

Each Backyard Makeover gives foster families a fresh start outside — and shows what’s possible when a community comes together with care and purpose.

Mini-TSC Sites & Hub Site Vision

Illustration of a community with various houses, churches, gardens, and people engaging in outdoor activities.

TSC envisions a network of Mini-TSC Sites anchored by a larger TSC Hub Site — together making connection, healing, and belonging a more natural part of everyday life for foster families. Each site will be designed with trauma-informed care and proximity in mind — close to where families live, easy to access, and shaped around the unique rhythms of foster family life. The Hub Site will also offer an expanded range of services for foster families and serve more broadly as the “home for foster care” within a given community — welcoming all, regardless of church, ministry, or agency affiliation.

    • Offer nearby spaces where children in foster care can play, explore, and grow at their own pace and in ways that meet their unique needs

    • Create safe, predictable environments that help kids feel calm and secure

    • Encourage healthy risk-taking, creativity, and teamwork through regular outdoor experiences

    • Help kids form friendships and meaningful connections with others who understand their story

    • Remind every child that they belong — and that their community cares about them

    • Make healing and connection easier through nearby outdoor spaces designed with the realities of foster family life in mind

    • Provide consistent places to gather, rest, and recharge together — without added cost or complexity

    • Support simple outdoor routines that ease stress and strengthen family connection

    • Offer welcoming, life-giving settings for court-ordered visits, therapy sessions, and trainings

    • Foster a deeper sense of community and belonging by giving foster families a shared home base

    • Serve as a central hub where families, agencies, ministries, caseworkers, and volunteers can gather and work together

    • Give foster care a “home” and clearer presence in the community — one that is welcoming, safe, and life-giving

    • Provide trauma-informed outdoor spaces for visits, reunions, and meetings that are calm, natural, and family-friendly

    • Create ongoing opportunities for collaboration, connection, and shared learning across the foster care ecosystem

    • Offer a trusted place where churches, organizations, and businesses can serve side by side in meaningful ways

    • Strengthen the foster care network by making connection easier, partnerships stronger, and community support more visible

Decorative leaves laid out on a table for an art craft project, with markers, jute twine, scissors, and boxes of pastel crayons nearby.
A young boy with glasses in a blue t-shirt and black pants watering plants with colorful watering cans on a garden bed.
Young black and tan goat standing on dirt ground, looking directly at the camera, with other goats and playground equipment in the background.

Together, Mini-TSC Sites and a Hub Site will give foster families nearby places to play, rest, and reconnect — and offer the broader foster care community a visible home where ministries, partners, and supporters can collaborate in meaningful new ways to strengthen families.

Conceptual Rendering of Potential TSC Hub Site

Logo for Tire Swing Collective with a tire and yellow swing strap, and text highlighting transforming spaces and impacting lives.

How can you help?

Get involved. Listen. Learn. Support children in foster care, encourage foster parents, and walk alongside birth parents who are working to keep their families together. Partner with organizations serving the foster care community — and, if you feel called, consider fostering yourself.

Support TSC