International Christian Adoptions

Foster care is a social service that often draws strong reactions and is also surrounded by myths and misconceptions. At ICA, we help foster youth connect with families, so we have a front-row seat to the magic of fostering—and we also have some insights to share.

Here are nine things about foster care that you might not know:

  • There are currently more than 424,000 children in the foster care system in the United States.
  • A family doesn’t need to be wealthy to begin fostering.

One of the biggest myths, especially among younger people, is that they can’t afford to become foster families. However, foster care is an essentially free program, with very minimal assessment costs.

Our families don’t pay ICA any fees, and once the child is in their home, there is a monthly stipend for the child’s care. Medical and dental care is covered at no cost to the family, and ICA provides counseling.

  • Among the 50 states, California continues to have the largest number of children entering foster care each year.

True, it is the most populous state in the U.S. There are more than 59,000 children in California’s foster care system, compared with 34,000 in the next most populous state of Texas.

ICA is based in Temecula, California, and we know firsthand that foster care systems here and across the country are in constant need of willing families.

  • The average age of a foster child is 8 years old.

Many people think of babies when they think of foster care, but the truth is that thousands of youth, through adolescence, enter the system every year in need of a family to take them in.

  • More than half of foster youth eventually return to their families.

Foster care has several obvious differences with adoption (while motivated by the same generosity and love) and this is the big one. Fostering is often temporary, which means that families who grow attached must accept the possibility of separation if it’s in the best interest of the youth to live with either their birth parents or extended family again.

Foster families must be willing to “love and let go” in the best interests of the children, preparing their hearts for the loss that is involved in fostering. There is no way around it—however, the pain is worth it to have the opportunity to make a profound difference in a hurting child’s life.

  • More than 30,000 teens age out of foster care every year.

This number is an unmitigated tragedy. That’s thirty thousand—or ten large high schools full of teenagers—who enter legal adulthood without the support of a family.

We ask our families to keep in mind that teens are technically still children! They need good, loving parenting just as much as young children do. How many 18-year-olds do you know who are ready to be totally independent, without a stable adult speaking into their life and supporting them? 

  • The average length of stay is 1.4 years.

Again, fostering is often temporary. This is the average length of stay, meaning many foster care arrangements last only a year or less.

  • After foster youth reach the age of 18:
    • 20% instantly become homeless
    • 70% will rely on government assistance
    • Half will have no earnings and lack the skills and resources to find employment
    • 7 out of 10 girls will be pregnant by the age of 21
    • 25% will still suffer the effects of PTSD

Here we encounter the difficult truth about the foster care system, which is that it serves some of the highest-risk, poorest and most disadvantaged children in the country. On the other hand, statistics like these are often why families choose to get involved. The numbers speak for themselves.

  • Foster care exits by percentage:
    • 54% are reunified with their biological families
    • 26% are adopted
    • 11% are transitioned to a legal guardianship
    • 8% are emancipated
    • 1% run away, die or other result

Outcomes are the sort of thing researchers study to help governments and organizations make positive changes. But for the ordinary family in the thick of it, every day is a chance to make a difference.

Contact ICA to learn more about foster care and how you can help.