Kids to Love featured on the 1819 Podcast

Is America finally ready to fix the broken foster care system?

That is the central question in a powerful new episode of the 1819 Podcast featuring Lee Marshall, CEO and Founder of Kids to Love.

As national attention turns toward foster care reform, Lee shares how Alabama is leading the way with a privatized model designed to move children to permanency faster, protect families, and prioritize trauma healing. It is an honest and in depth conversation about what is working, what still needs reform, and how faith driven leadership is shaping a new path forward.

With renewed federal focus on foster care, the system is under a national spotlight. But policy conversations only go so far. Lee explains what reform looks like in practice.

Through Kids to Love’s work across Alabama, children are reaching permanency more quickly. Families are receiving stronger support. Accountability is built into every level of care. This is not theoretical reform. It is measurable impact.

In the episode, Lee shares how Alabama’s privatized foster care system is improving outcomes and tells real case stories involving termination of parental rights, teen mothers, and sibling groups. She discusses the challenges of scaling reform statewide, the importance of foster parent recruitment and training, and the realities of navigating state pushback and legal battles. She also speaks candidly about leading through adversity with faith and resilience. At its core, the conversation centers on one principle. Children belong in safe, permanent families.

A significant portion of the discussion highlights the growing trauma crisis among children and families. Lee explains why traditional systems often fail to address deep rooted trauma and how Kids to Love responded by launching the Smith Family Wellness Center. The Smith Family Wellness Center is designed to serve as a national model for trauma informed care, offering specialized services that prioritize healing alongside permanency. Placement alone is not enough. True success means restoration.

What is happening in Alabama is gaining national attention because it is producing results. Permanency. Accountability. Healing.

This episode of the 1819 Podcast is more than a feature. It is a clear look at what is possible when leadership, policy, and faith align to protect the next generation.

If you care about foster care reform, adoption, trauma informed care, or faith based leadership, this is a conversation worth watching.