When Pauline and Bob Molder adopted their foster children, they thought they were pretty well prepared for the new additions to their family.

Pauline served as president of the Anne Arundel County Foster Parent Association, and both she and her husband attended many hours of training offered by the county Department of Social Services.

But there was one problem. The Molders weren't sure how to take care of their children's hair.

The Severna Park couple is white, and 5-year-old Rahmija and 2-year-old Naomi are African American. And all hair is not created equal, as Pauline Molder soon learned.

"It's not something we...