A Kid's Place of Tampa Bay

A Kid's Place of Tampa Bay is a registered 501(c)(3) organization in Brandon that gives children in foster care a safe and caring place to live. It was founded in 2009 to support the foster care system by letting brothers and sisters stay together in a home-like environment. Its founder, Dottie Berger MacKinnon, devoted her work to protecting the most vulnerable children in the community.

Five homes on the campus care for children from birth to age 17, and two more homes house young adults aged 18 to 23. Care is provided around the clock, and each child gets an individual plan that addresses medical, psychological, social and educational needs.

Each home is run by live-in house parents, and on-site teachers and tutors help children with their studies. Teens aged 13 and older can join an independent living program with one-on-one mentoring and hands-on classes on hygiene, cooking, financial literacy and job readiness. Young adults can continue in Extended Foster Care and PESS homes as a step toward full independence.

Since opening, the organization has served more than 1,700 children and more than 750 families. A new 12,000-square-foot building, the MacKinnon Family Activity Center, is now under construction.