Substitute teacher adopts former student out of foster care

A certified teacher from Florida has formed a permanent bond by adopting a former student from foster care whom she met while working as a substitute teacher in his class.

Key Takeaways:

Jackie Coombe, a substitute teacher, met Jaden nearly three years ago when he was in her second grade class.
When she heard Jaden was seeking an adoptive family, she applied.
Jaden moved in with her in December, and has now been officially adopted.

The Details:

Jackie Coombe finalized her adoption of 11-year-old Jaden from foster care last month. The two met when Coombe was a substitute teacher in Jaden’s second grade class.

Coombe told Good Morning America (GMA) that Jaden’s spiritedness and energy stood out to her when she subbed for his class over a period of seven months.

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Coombe, who is 53 years old and divorced with two adult children, had considered adoption, but hesitated due to life circumstances and fears.

"I had been thinking about adoption for years … and it just never seemed to quite fit in with what I was doing, or I was scared," Coombe told GMA.

But she missed raising young children, and when she heard that Jaden was looking to be adopted, Coombe decided to start the process with Jaden. He moved in with her on a temporary, supervised basis last December.

Zoom In:

Jaden obviously felt at home, even before the adoption was finalized this summer, Coombe said.

"He's been saying since the day he moved in, in December, that he's adopted already," Coombe said. "He would argue with you if you told him he wasn't.”

Finalizing the adoption moved both Coombe and Jaden deeply.

"I may have cried," Coombe told ABC News, according to GMA.

Coombe said that Jaden has shown a “huge change” in his personality since the adoption papers were signed and he was formally adopted.

"He's more bubbly. He's more happy to talk to people.… I guess it meant as much to him as it did to me to actually have the judge say, 'You are adopted,’” said Coombe.

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The Bottom Line:

Coombe encouraged others like her to consider adoption. Being married or being the perfect parent is not a prerequisite for giving a child love, she noted.

Jaden has brought joy into her life. “I get to go relive a childhood with him,” Coombe told the Observer Local News.

Dig Deeper:

Read more stories about adoption through foster care:

Editor's Note, 7/20/26: This article has been corrected since original publication.

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