Children in foster care have been abused, abandoned, and/or neglected. Many will not return to live with their parents or even with a relative. While we wish the statistics were different, it is up to us to provide the love and support these children need. They didn't choose to be placed in foster care, but we can choose to step into the gap and make a difference. Who taught you how to ride a bike? Swim? Or prepare for a math test? Whether you remember or not, those people cared...and so can you.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

1. Find a foster care facility near you. Contact them and ask how you can help.
2. Sign up as a volunteer and get your family and friends involved.
3. Be prepared. Volunteers at a foster care facility can be involved in everything from outside physical activities to arts and crafts.
4. Become a foster parent or adopt a child.

FACTS

• Over 510,000 children are in foster care in the U.S.—their average age is 10.
• Approximately 46% of children are in non-relative foster family homes, 24% are in relative foster homes, 17% are in group homes or institutions, 3% are in pre-adoptive homes, and 10% are in other placement types.
• 40% of the children are white, 32% are black, and 19% are Hispanic.
• 16% of the children in foster care have been in foster care more than 3 years.
• Over 51,000 children are adopted annually from the foster care system.