What is National Foster Care Month?
National Foster Care Month, celebrated every May, provides an opportunity for us to show appreciation to the dedicated foster families and social workers across the nation. It also provides an opportunity to get more people involved, whether as foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers, advocates or in other ways. Join us in making National Foster Care Month a success. Here are some ways you can get involved and visit our "Did you know?" section for more information about the kids currently in foster care.
Get involved!
- Take Action!
- Become a Foster Care Parent: Learn more about foster care. Visit these Devereux Centers that offer foster care programs.
- Drive! Many agencies need people to drive children to various appointments. Appointments could be visits with the birth family, medical or dental visits, or to a new foster home.
- Donate!
- Donate goods such as book bags, suitcases, clothing, books, games, computers, sports equipment, musical instruments and school supplies to a foster care program.
- Create a tributes page and ask your friends and family to get involved by donating to a Devereux Foster Care program.
- Give Now!
- Honor a Foster Care Parent:
Send a foster parent you know a letter thanking them for the wonderful work they are doing.
- Volunteer / Become a Mentor:
- Volunteer at your local Devereux Center or an organization in your community dedicated to helping our nation's youth.
- Become a mentor to a child. Find a mentoring program in your area at http://www.mentoring.org/.
- Become a Big Brother or Sister: Spend 3-4 hours a week with a child and make a difference.
- Raise Public Awareness: Spread the Word!
- Distribute information about foster care needs in your community or compelling stories to newsletters, advocacy groups, community centers, web sites and special interest groups.
Did you know?
In 2005:
- 513,000 children were in foster care
- 48% were female (243,964)
- 94,650 were in group homes or other institutional settings
- 51,000 children were adopted
- 114,000 children eligible for adoption and waiting for homes
Aging out of foster care:
Serious challenges face many youth who age out of foster care.
- 1 in 4 will be incarcerated within two years of leaving foster care
- 1 in 5 will become homeless
- Only half will graduate from high school
- Less than 3% will receive college degrees
- 38% cope with serious emotional problems
- 40% of U.S. prison population spent time in foster care
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National Foster Care Month is a great time to draw awareness to the growing need for foster care homes and the resources required for the children within foster care.
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