The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Foster \Fos"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fostered, p. pr. & vb.
   n. Fostering.] [OE. fostren, fr. AS. f[=o]ster, f[=o]stor,
   food, nourishment, fr. f[=o]da food. [root]75. See Food.]
   1. To feed; to nourish; to support; to bring up.
      [1913 Webster]

            Some say that ravens foster forlorn children.
                                                  --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To cherish; to promote the growth of; to encourage; to
      sustain and promote; as, to foster genius.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

fostering
    n 1: encouragement; aiding the development of something [syn:
         fostering, fosterage]
    2: helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the
       community; "they debated whether nature or nurture was more
       important" [syn: breeding, bringing up, fostering,
       fosterage, nurture, raising, rearing, upbringing]