Some children stay in foster care for weeks, some for years. The children are of all ages and varying needs. Some will need the temporary home to turn into a permanent home if they cannot be reunited with their birth families. Foster parents provide a supportive and stable environment for children who cannot live with their birth parents until family problems are resolved. Foster parents often provide care to many different children.
Foster parents provide the basics, including food, clothing and protection.
They arrange for medical and dental care, education and encourage positive relationships. A license is required to operate a foster home. The process requires completing an application packet and a visit from a licensing social worker to meet with you and other family members in your home. Law mandates minimal personal, safety and space requirements. Foster parents receive a monthly payment to help feed, clothe and meet the material needs of the child placed in their care.