Respite Foster Care provides families with childcare either for the day or overnight. This allows parents a temporary break from their parenting responsibilities while maintaining a qualified, structured environment for the child(ren). Being a respite foster care parent is a viable alternative for those individuals or families who cannot commit to a child for an extended period of time. Experience with SED/BED children is required; respite parents receive the same pre-service training as regular foster parents. Respite Foster Care requires the foster parents to participate in a minimum of 5 hours of continuing education annually and working closely with the child’s family to meet their needs.