Foster parents in Illinois now must include a culturally competent hair care plan for children in their care, and the Oak Park nonprofit that spent 16 years teaching families how to style textured hair is helping the state make it work.

Styles 4 Kidz, headquartered at 235 Harrison St., has become a go-to resource as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services rolls out requirements under House Bill 5097. The law, sponsored by state Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) and signed in August 2024, took effect Jan. 1, 2025, with a June 1, 2025, compliance deadline for DCFS to build hair care plans into every case review.

"We want children going to the classroom feeling prepared, feeling confident, feeling beautiful, feeling handsome, feeling connected to their culture and their identity, and so hair is an essential part of that," executive director Tamekia Swint told ABC7 Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Swint founded Styles 4 Kidz in 2010 to serve three Illinois families. The organization now works with thousands of families nationwide, offering hands-on hair care workshops for parents, salon services, teen workshops and free services for children living in group foster homes, according to TheGrio.

The disparity the law targets is stark. Black children make up roughly 14% of the overall child population but 22% of children in foster care in Cook County, according to Styles 4 Kidz.

Under HB 5097, DCFS caseworkers now observe a child's hair appearance during home visits alongside other indicators of well-being. The law requires plans that address culturally competent training, preservation of a child's cultural, gender and religious identities, and routines that promote healthy hair.

DCFS is also building a hotline to give foster parents hair care guidance and resources. Jacquelyn Dortch, the agency's chief of staff, told ABC7 the hotline should be available later in 2026.

"When kids can look in the mirror and feel good about who they are, it really impacts their ability to grow, develop, and muddle through being in substitute care while they work to get back home," Dortch said.

Rachel Hoyt, a foster parent who adopted her daughter Felicity after fostering her as a newborn, described the practical learning curve in the same report. "I had to learn different types of products to use. More moisture. That was definitely a learning curve," Hoyt said.

HB 5097 builds on Simmons' 2021 Jett Hawkins Law, which banned hairstyle discrimination in Illinois schools. In an August 2024 press release when the bill was signed, Simmons said hair care and hairstyles are crucial forms of self-expression and connection to race, culture and ethnicity, adding that youth in care too often lose that connection while in the child welfare system.

Styles 4 Kidz received a $10,000 AMPT Grant in 2026 from Advancing Nonprofits, a capacity-building initiative supporting small nonprofits on Chicago's West and South sides. The organization recently added Dr. Kenneth Campbell as board vice president and held a board retreat focused on long-term sustainability.

DCFS expects the foster parent hotline to launch before the end of 2026. Styles 4 Kidz is at 235 Harrison St. in Oak Park; workshop and service information is available at styles4kidz.org.