Kids First Inc.

What Kids First Inc. does

Kids First Inc. is a Texas-licensed, non-profit child-placing agency founded in 2008 by Carla Johnson and headquartered in Fort Worth, with additional offices in Dallas and Denton. It delivers three integrated service lines — foster care, adoption, and kinship care — to children from birth to 18 years of age who have been abused, neglected, or are disadvantaged, primarily in North Texas (Tarrant, Denton, Dallas, and surrounding counties). The agency screens, verifies, and supports foster and adoptive families, provides 24/7 case support, and conducts home studies, licensing, and training (including TBRI-based approaches), with a stated emphasis on family restoration wherever possible.

The organization operates as a contract provider with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS), which is its primary funding source. Services are provided to families at no charge; foster parents receive monthly stipends from the state rather than from the agency. Kids First reaches prospective families through content marketing (a 40+ article blog), weekly Virtual Interest Meetings, community referrals, and direct inquiry forms. Since inception, it has helped more than 900 children and facilitated over 125 adoptions, against a backdrop of 3,000+ children placed in foster care annually within its service area.

Kids First has no proprietary technology platform; its backend is a standard Squarespace website, and the value proposition is delivered entirely through human caseworkers, training staff, and community-building. The business model is a managed-services contract relationship with TDFPS, supplemented by donations (Zeffy donation form is linked). There is no investor-backed funding, no parent company, and no disclosed headcount, revenue, or M&A activity, consistent with a mission-driven regional non-profit operating in a regulated government services market.

Name

Kids First Inc.

Legal name

Kids First, Inc.

Website

https://kidsfirstinc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kids First Inc. is a Texas-licensed, non-profit child-placing agency that provides foster care, adoption, and kinship care services to children from birth to 18 across North Texas, operating under a contract with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Contract Services with Texas DFPS: Kids First is a licensed contract provider with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS). The organization receives government funding to screen, verify, and support foster and adoptive families. Revenue is derived from state contracts for child-placing services including foster home verification, family screening, and adoption facilitation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kids First Inc. is a licensed non-profit child-placing agency that screens, trains, and supports foster, adoptive, and kinship families for children from birth to 18 years of age in North Texas. Operating as a contract provider with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the agency delivers Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care services with 24/7 caseworker support, family restoration programming, and TBRI-based training. Services are provided free of charge to families and are funded through state contracts.

Product overview

Kids First Inc. is a child-placing agency offering three integrated service programs: Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care services. Licensed by the State of Texas, the organization serves children from birth to 18 years of age in the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton areas. The agency provides comprehensive support including simplified compliance and licensing guidance, 24/7 support, and training for families, with a focus on restoring families whenever possible.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Care Services Provides temporary care and support for children from birth to 18 years of age who have been abused or neglected. Kids First is licensed by the State of Texas to verify foster homes, trains prospective foster parents, matches children with foster families, and offers 24/7 support and ongoing training throughout placements.
• Adoption Services Licensed contract provider with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) that screens and verifies families seeking to adopt children from the Texas foster care system. The agency has facilitated over 125 adoptions, supporting families through screening, verification, and adoption finalization.
• Kinship Care Services Places children first with qualified family members or close family friends when parents are unable to care for them. Kids First walks kinship caregivers (grandparents, aunts, uncles, and trusted friends) through the kinship care process and provides ongoing support for relative caregivers, with a focus on keeping children connected to family.

Quantifiable outcome

• 900+ children helped since 2008
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKids First Inc. is a licensed contract provider with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS). This is the primary government partnership enabling the agency to screen and verify families for foster care and adoption services. The organization operates under TDFPS guidelines and receives funding through this contractual relationship to provide child-placing services in North Texas.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Boys Town: National non-profit offering foster care, family support, and residential services for at-risk children and families. Operates in Texas and many other states with a much broader service portfolio.
• The Bair Foundation: National Christ-centered foster care and adoption agency operating across multiple states including Texas. Comparable service mix with broader geographic footprint and larger infrastructure.
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Large national non-profit providing behavioral health, foster care, and adoption services across many states, including Texas. Overlaps with Kids First on child-placing services but operates a much wider clinical portfolio.
• Bethany Christian Services: National non-profit providing foster care, adoption, and family support services across many U.S. states, including Texas. Broader portfolio and geographic reach than Kids First, but overlapping core services.

Direct peers

• Buckner International: Dallas-headquartered Christian organization operating foster care, adoption, and family services across Texas and internationally. Comparable faith-rooted foster and adoption program with similar Texas footprint.
• Arrow Child & Family Ministries: Texas-based Christian organization providing foster care, adoption, and family preservation services across multiple Texas regions. Directly comparable mission and service mix to Kids First.
• SJRC Texas (formerly St. Jude's Ranch for Children Texas): Texas-based child welfare organization providing foster and adoption services, including residential and community-based care. Comparable TDFPS-contracted service delivery model in Texas.
• Gladney Center for Adoption: Fort Worth, Texas-based licensed adoption agency offering adoption and post-adoption services. Closest geographic and service-line peer to Kids First's adoption program within the North Texas region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-first-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kids First Inc.