Support, Thrive, Advocacy, Youth
We Started Because Too Many Families Were Being Underserved
At STAY of Georgia, our mission is simple: to build, support, and celebrate families of every background. We walk alongside you throughout your fostering journey by providing guidance, training, and 24/7 support from licensed professionals dedicated to providing the highest level of care for children and families.
STAY of Georgia partners with families to create the best possible matches between foster parents and children, helping build safe, stable, and nurturing homes throughout Georgia.
Our team understands that every family’s journey is different. We provide the resources, education, and support needed to help families feel confident and prepared every step of the way.
We handle the complexities of navigating services so families can spend more quality time with their loved ones instead of managing paperwork, referrals, and multiple agencies.
From your first conversation to your first placement, STAY of Georgia is with you before, during, and after you begin fostering.
Reach out to your local STAY of Georgia office to learn about foster parent requirements, expectations, available support, and the steps involved in becoming a foster parent.
During training, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to provide a safe and supportive home for a child. We also take time to understand your goals, preferences, and what you hope to experience as a foster parent.
After completing training, families will complete the home study process, required paperwork, and necessary assessments. Once approved, your family becomes eligible to welcome a foster child into your home.
From your first placement to everyday challenges and successes, STAY of Georgia stands beside you. You will have access to ongoing guidance, resources, and support from our team. You never have to walk this journey alone.
STAY of Georgia exists to support both the children and teens in care and the caregivers who open their homes. We answer the phone at night, sit with you in hard moments, and celebrate every milestone — because fostering is a shared journey.
We proudly serve children with specialized healthcare needs.
We accept children who require individualized or skilled care.
Our agency supports children with developmental, medical, and behavioral care needs.
We welcome medically fragile children and those needing customized care plans.
STAY of Georgia is a Georgia company helping children, caregivers, and whole households stay safe, stable, and together — through counseling, family preservation, housing and food support, youth programs, and crisis response.
We are here to support both the individual receiving services and the caregivers who dedicate their time to helping them. Our goal is to reduce stress, simplify coordination, and provide dependable support so families can focus on what matters most.
We handle the complexities of navigating services so families can spend more quality time with their loved ones instead of managing paperwork, referrals, and multiple agencies.
Our teams work in homes, schools, parks, and community spaces across Georgia. Some families come to us for a single service and stay for years. Others need one clear answer during a hard week. Both are worth our full attention.
We keep our own bar simple: would we want this same care for our own family? If the answer is anything less than yes, we change how we work.
If a program is not the right fit, we say so and help you find one that is. Trust is worth more than a caseload.
The person receiving support sets the direction. Families and staff build around that, not the other way around.
Siblings, grandparents, and caregivers are part of the picture. Support that ignores them does not last.
We expand only where we can staff well. Reliable service in fewer counties beats thin coverage everywhere.
Steady guidance for the whole family, not just a service line item.
Every plan starts with the person's own goals, voice, and pace.
Programs designed so nobody has to ask whether they belong.
We measure success in confidence gained, not hours delivered.
0
Families served
0
Volunteer hours
0
Meals provided so far
10–0
People served in counseling
0
Children supported
$0
Donations received in Georgia
The experienced team guiding STAY of Georgia's work across the state.
T. Ronn Ross
Executive Director, Co-founder
Executive leader with 20+ years of experience building, scaling, and directing nonprofit, for-profit, home health care, and child placement organizations across Georgia. Specialized expertise in Georgia Medicaid, GAPP, DHS/DFCS contracting, CCFA/WA, and medically fragile child placement. Known for operational excellence, compliance mastery, and strengthening service systems that support vulnerable children, adults, and families.
Sharon Layton, MSW
Co-Founder, Director
Accomplished Social Work and Human Services executive with 20+ years of progressive leadership experience across child welfare, kinship care, foster care, family preservation, and community-based programs. Proven expertise in program development, staff supervision, policy compliance, grant writing, and multi-county operational oversight. Recognized for strengthening placement systems, improving permanency outcomes, and building high-performing teams. Adept at cross-agency collaboration, provider management, and ensuring adherence to state and federal child welfare standards. CERTIFIED SAFE TRAINER / HOME ASSESSOR.
Natasha Springer, BSW
Case Manager Supervisor
Seasoned social services professional and executive consultant with more than two decades of experience strengthening families, supporting vulnerable populations, and improving organizational performance across Georgia's human services sector. CERTIFIED SAFE TRAINER / HOME ASSESSOR.
E Dwayne Banks, M.Ed., LPC, CPCS
Clinical Director
Accomplished behavioral health and public health executive with 25+ years of leadership across federal agencies, community mental health, HIV prevention, and clinical program development. Proven expertise in directing large-scale public health initiatives, supervising multidisciplinary teams, managing multimillion-dollar federal programs, and delivering high-impact mental health services to diverse populations. Recognized for strategic leadership, clinical excellence, and international training experience across Africa, Micronesia, and the Pacific Islands.
We publish what we can measure, review every program semi-annually, and ask the families we serve what should change. When something is not working, we say so before someone else has to.
