fostering

Fos·ter  (fôstr, fstr), Stephen Collins 1826-1864.

American songwriter whose popular works, such as "Oh! Susannah" (1848) and "Old Folks at Home" (1851), reflect the sentiment of pre-Civil War America.

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fos·ter  (fôstr, fstr)

tr.v. fos·tered, fos·ter·ing, fos·ters

1. To bring up; nurture: bear and foster offspring. See Synonyms at nurture.

2. To promote the growth and development of; cultivate: detect and foster artistic talent. See Synonyms at advance.

3. To nurse; cherish: foster a secret hope.

adj.

1. Providing parental care and nurture to children not related through legal or blood ties: foster parents; foster grandparents; a foster home.

2. Receiving parental care and nurture from those not related to one through legal or blood ties: foster children.

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[Middle English fostren, from Old English *fstrian, to nourish, from fstor, food, nourishing; see p- in Indo-European roots.]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	fostering - encouragement; aiding the development of something fosterage encouragement - the expression of approval and support
	2.	fostering - helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community; "they debated whether nature or nurture was more important" bringing up, fosterage, nurture, rearing, upbringing, breeding, raising acculturation, enculturation, socialisation, socialization - the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture; "the socialization of children to the norms of their culture"