Illinois foster youth are getting culturally competent hair care—how one business is helping make it happen
TheGrio...
Illinois requires DCFS to account for culturally competent hair care, and Styles 4 Kidz is helping turn that requirement into hands-on support for families
For children in foster care, something as routine as getting their hair done can carry much more significance. Hair can be tied to culture, identity, self-esteem and a child’s sense of belonging — particularly for Black children and other youth with textured hair.
That recognition is at the heart of an Illinois law signed in 2024, and an Oak Park nonprofit is helping families and caregivers understand what culturally competent hair care can look like in practice, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
House Bill 5097, sponsored by state Sen. Mike Simmons, requires the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to include a hair care plan during case reviews. The plan is intended to identify the training and resources needed to ensure children receive culturally competent hair care, including guidance that respects their cultural, gender and religious identities and promotes healthy hair.
“Haircare and hair styles are crucial forms of self-expression, identity, and connection to race, culture and ethnicity,” Simmons said when the legislation was signed.
Now, organizations such as Styles 4 Kidz are helping address the practical side of that mandate.
Founded by Tamekia Swint in 2010, Styles 4 Kidz was created to provide hair care education and services to children with textured hair in foster care, transracial adoptive and biracial families. The organization grew from serving three Illinois families to working with thousands of families across the country.
Its programs include hands-on hair care workshops for parents, salon services, teen workshops and free services for children living in group foster homes. The organization also operates parent advocacy groups designed to help caregivers understand the importance of hair care while navigating cultural differences.
The need is significant. Styles 4 Kidz notes that Black children represent about 14% of the overall child population but 22% of children in foster care in Cook County.
For Styles 4 Kidz, the goal goes beyond teaching someone how to braid, twist or moisturize textured hair. Its stated mission is to provide “high-quality, compassionate hair care education and services” while helping children develop self-esteem and cultural pride.
That makes the organization’s work an important part of translating a law passed in 2024 into something children and caregivers can experience every day: care that recognizes that a child’s hair is about more than appearance.