Simi Valley woman opens heart to kids

By Lori Porter porter@theacorn.com

Mariana Abarta of Simi Valley has had 43 babies in 19 years. And that’s not including three children of her own. Abarta is a foster parent who provides love and stability for children who have been abused or neglected.

Ever since she was a young girl, Abarta has adored babies. She entered nursing school shortly after graduating high school and worked for many years as an obstetric nurse in hospital nurseries and delivery rooms.

Abarta and her husband Steve, who have three children of their own, began pondering the idea of foster parenting almost 20 years ago, but Steve was reluctant at first.

Knowing his wife had a passion and a gift for taking care of babies, he soon warmed up to the idea. She said her children were in favor of the idea, too—as long as they didn’t have to babysit.

When a person applies to be a foster parent, they can request preferences for the type of children they take in. Those preferences cover everything from age to ethnicity to the health of the child. Abarta’s first preference was for babies up to 6 months old. Due to her expertise in nursing, she agreed to include sick children on her wish list.

One of the first babies she fostered through Ventura County was a 2-day-old baby girl named Tiana whose birth mother was a drug addict. Drug and alcohol abuse by parents account for about 65 percent of foster care placement.

"When she came to us she screamed for the first three months," said Abarta, "but she was beautiful and we loved her."

California law provides birth parents the opportunity to earn back the custody of their children and when Tiana was 15 months old she returned to her real parents. But, like many parents whose children are wards of the state, Tiana’s mother continued to use drugs and her parental rights were eventually terminated.

The law also requires that foster children be placed in a permanent home by the time they are 18 months old, but in many instances, a backlog of appeals and court cases has made it difficult to meet that timetable.

Tiana returned to the Abartas, who adopted her when she was two years old. Today she is a happy 16-year-old.

Currently Abarta has two babies, a 14-month-old girl born with a slight deformity and a 10-month-old baby boy, an extreme preemie born at the 26th week of his mother’s pregnancy.

"I love these babies. They are so sweet and vulnerable," Abarta said.

In 1986, when Abarta first became a foster parent, Ventura County had 300 foster families. Today there are only 170 foster families registered with the county due to the growth in restrictions.

Only 15 of the 170 families are Spanish speaking and only five are African American. Foster Care agencies prefer to place children with families of the same ethnicity.

Babies remain the easiest to place in foster homes. It’s the older children and teens who must wait the longest, officials say.

Those interested in learning more about foster care in Ventura County can call (805) 654-3251.