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1. Who are the children in foster care?

Children who are temporarily separated from their families due to abuse or neglect and who enter the foster care system include:

• School-aged children who need extra help in getting along with others, school work, and feeling good about themselves
  
• Infants who have special feeding and medical problems
  
• Brothers and sisters who should stay together
  
• Children with developmental or physical disabilities
  
• Children with emotional problems
  
• Children who need families that are sensitive to and respectful of their culture
  
• Teenagers who have not experienced positive family life and now need extra patience and commitment

2. Where do the children who need foster care come from?

Sometimes, as a result of abuse, neglect, abandonment, or death in a family, courts decide that children must be temporarily separated from their families. These children come from all cultural and economic groups. But, in many communities, children of color are over-represented in the foster care system.

3. How long is "temporary"?

A child’s stay in foster care may be as short as overnight or as long as it takes to achieve a permanent plan for the child. The first goal most often considered is to reunite the family, if possible.

4. What are the rewards of becoming a foster family?

Foster families can expect many rewards:

• A sense of accomplishment
  
• The chance to help children feel good about themselves
  
• Pride in doing a meaningful and important job
  
• Challenging experiences
  
• The opportunity to meet and work with new people
  
• A chance to use special talents and knowledge
  
• The opportunity to make a lifetime of difference for a child