Foster Care Organizations and Statistics

Foster Care Alumni of America estimates that there are 12 million alumni of foster care and 800,000 foster care professionals in the United States. There are 513,000 kids living in foster care across America.

"A review of child welfare data and various social work textbooks indicates that there are roughly 12 million American adults who experienced foster care at some point in their childhood. The foster care system currently provides service to nearly 800,000 children per year—with approximately 532,000 children and youth in foster care at any given point in time. The alumni group is estimated to be growing at a rate exceeding one-quarter million (250,000) per year."

Foster Care Alumni of America was created in direct response to the growing number of people who have experienced, or are currently experiencing, the foster care system:

"It is the only national organization that provides opportunities for alumni to use our experiences living in the foster care system to change the lives of children and youth in foster care, as well as the foster care system itself, for the better. We believe our experience is our expertise. We have lived in the foster care system. Our views, opinions, and perspectives are vital to improving the practices, policies, and approaches of today’s foster care system."

The Band Together campaign is driven by several youth organizations and led by FosterClub, the national network for young people in foster care.

FosterClub’s goal is to provoke a young generation to demand improved care and services for their peers who have experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment and are living in the U.S. foster care system.

To quote from Band Together: "Over 513,000 American children are in foster care, taken away when their families are in crisis and can’t take care of them. But there aren’t enough foster families to take them in. There isn’t enough money to provide them the things every child needs. There aren’t enough people to help them, mentor them, or to simply cheer them up and give them hope for the future."

If nothing changes by the year 2020:
> Nearly 14 million reported cases of child abuse and neglect will be confirmed;
> 22,500 children will die of abuse or neglect, most before their fifth birthday;
> More than 9,000,000 children will spend some time in foster care
> More than 300,000 children will age out of our foster care system, some in poor health and many unprepared for success in higher education, technical college or the workforce; and,
> 99,000 former foster youth, who aged out of the system, will experience homelessness.

According to the Orphan Foundation of America every year, 25,000 young people "age out" of the foster care system. OFA connects foster teens with virtual mentors, supports their post-secondary education through ETV funds and initiates endeavors such as care packages and the Red Scarf Project. They also offer summer internships for young people in and from foster care.

According to the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, "Every day in the United States there are more than half a million children and youth living in foster care because their own parents can't take care of them. Nearly half of this population is over the age of 10."

Nearly 20,000 young people leave or age out of the foster care system every year. Foster care teens and alumni have low high-school graduation rates and little economic success. Only half of them finish high school. Only 20 percent who are qualified for college go on to postsecondary education. And only 5 percent of those in college will complete their degrees.

One of the underlying principles of Youth Communications is that "Teens who read little else are more likely to read and heed stories which accurately reflect their experience and concerns."