Frequently Asked Questions

Amarillo Children’s Home (ACH), previously known as the Presbyterian Home for Children, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the Amarillo community since 1924. We are licensed by the State of Texas as a foster care provider and have been able to serve as a home and a family to thousands of children in our history thanks to the generous support of this community. Your regular gifts of support are tax-deductible and invaluable. An active volunteer board of directors oversees our operations.

We care for children ages 5 into young adulthood who come to us mainly through the foster care or judicial systems. To help meet the state’s greatest needs in placing foster children, we focus on serving older children (the average age of our kids is 15), and sibling groups (we currently have 6 sibling groups on campus). We typically have 45 children living with us at one time. Most of these children have come from a background of abuse and neglect. The love, structure, sense of belonging and training the kids receive at Amarillo Children’s Home allows them to give back to their community as respectful students, diligent workers and volunteers, dedicated moms and dads and honest businessmen and women.

This varies based on individual need. Typically, kids stay with us anywhere from a few months to many years. Currently half of our children have been with us for two or more years.

Our kids attend local public schools, play sports, are elected to school government, have jobs and join clubs. Academic achievement and community involvement is a focus at Amarillo Children’s Home. (We’re proud of our cumulative campus GPA of over 3.0!) We also provide opportunities to volunteer in the community and nurture a desire to give back.

You bet! Think of it as any other family with school, sports, jobs and trips to the mall or movies… then add a few more kids.

Some of the children in our care are eligible for adoption through an outside agency.

Sometimes. Most of the children and youth placed in our care are referred to us by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) as well as through the judicial system. These children and youth have been removed from their homes for various reasons and are now in the custody of the state. When parents meet the qualifications of the state to be reunified with their children, our kids can return to their biological families. If the parents do not meet these qualifications over a period of time, their parental rights can be terminated and the child will be eligible for adoption. This process can often take multiple years.

We depend on financial gifts from generous individuals each day to allow us to keep serving children as we have for almost 100 years. Financial contributions allow us to meet the current needs and to react quickly when new needs arise. In addition to financial donations, we need many in-kind items such as paper goods, clothing/shoes, and food items. You can find our In-Kind list here >> From time to time we have a need for volunteers, both individual and group. If you would like to be added to the volunteer list please send an email with your contact information to info@amarillochildrenshome.org.

Only about 24% of the annual funding for Amarillo Children’s Home comes from the state of Texas. We rely on community donations for the remaining 76%. Take a look at our handy graph.

Traditionally we have been engaged with the Presbyterian Church since 1924 with our first gift of $10,000 given to us by Allen Early, Sr. through the church. Now we enjoy relationships with multiple denominations and churches.

Yes, you may. All undesignated funds will go towards the care of the children and operation of Amarillo Children’s Home. If you’d like, you may give now.

Yes! We love visitors and believe the best way to get to know us is to come see what we do in person. Tours of our campus are offered during business hours on weekdays. If you are interested in a tour, please call us at (806) 352-5771.

We are only as strong as the people who care for our kids at ACH. The heart of our program is the house parents that daily provide love, structure, and training for the foster children in our care. Finding the right house parents, supporting them in their roles, and retaining them so that they provide consistency for our children is the greatest need at Amarillo Children’s Home. Give Now