AUSTIN, Texas — Typically, children learn about the world from their parents. But many children living in foster care don't have a parental figure they can learn from.
As 12-year-old Daniel has learned, sometimes, lessons can come from the most unlikely places.
Daniel has been in Texas foster care for three years now. He said he's ready to find a forever family.
"I want a mom, dad, cat and rabbit," Daniel said.
Daniel has a strong curiosity for the world around him and is full of questions. He especially loves learning about cars. Luckily, he was able to spend some time with someone who had an answer to his every question.
Ron Beach is a retired mechanic who owns Beach Automotive in Round Rock.
"One of the things that's true about cars is if you understand cars and how they work, you can understand other things in life and how they work that way," Beach said.
PHOTOS | Forever Families: Meet Daniel
Daniel enjoyed poking around the shop, and Beach even taught him how to change the oil in a car. Daniel asked Beach if he had any old keys lying around that Daniel could keep to collect.
Daniel currently lives in a group home and goes to school on the same property. He said he's ready to see new things and get some fresh air.
"I don't really like it because it's just not what I want," Daniel said.
To learn more about Daniel or to put in an inquiry to adopt him, visit his page on the Heart Gallery of Central Texas.
KVUE launched the Forever Families segment with Partnerships for Children (PFC) in June 2020 to highlight children in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas who need secure and permanent families. Every day, there are nearly 1,000 children waiting to get adopted in Central Texas, according to PFC.
Editor's note: The children who are in the Heart Gallery program and featured in KVUE's Forever Families segments are children who have had every effort made on their behalf to connect them with family or others in their community to provide options for permanent, adoptive homes. Through no fault of their own, that hasn’t happened yet, and so in partnership with the Department of Family and Protective Services, we collaborate to bring awareness to KVUE viewers about these children in the hopes of finding them permanency before they age out.