Flagship article
Why Fifty-Seven Still Matters
Two separate meanings of fifty-seven lead to one practical invitation through careers, opportunity, mentorship, and follow-through.
Read the article →Research & learning
Understand the issue. Keep the person in view.
Plain-language evidence guides for people who want to learn before they act. Nonpartisan, source-linked, and written without turning children or families into statistics.
Evidence guide
Foster Care 101
Foster care is temporary out-of-home care used when a child cannot safely remain with a parent or caregiver. Depending on the jurisdiction and the child’s needs, placement may be with relatives, family friends, licensed foster families, or residential settings.
Read the guide →Evidence guide
Why Children Enter Foster Care
Children usually come to the attention of child welfare after concerns about abuse or neglect. A report may be screened out, investigated, or handled through an alternative response. Out-of-home care is considered when safety cannot be maintained at home.
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Foster Home Availability
Communities often describe a “foster home shortage,” but the practical issue is not only the number of beds. Agencies need appropriate families for a child’s age, sibling group, location, culture, medical needs, school stability, and permanency plan.
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Aging Out of Foster Care
Depending on state law and eligibility, some young people leave foster care between ages 18 and 21 without reunification, adoption, guardianship, or another legally permanent family.
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Education Outcomes
Students in foster care may experience school changes, record delays, transportation barriers, lost credits, trauma, and changes in adult support. These disruptions can affect attendance, progress, graduation, and postsecondary planning.
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Workforce Outcomes
Young adults with foster-care experience may enter work while also managing housing, transportation, education, health care, documentation, and limited family support.
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Employer Engagement
Employers often want to help but may default to one-time drives or inspirational events rather than durable opportunity.
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Common Foster Care Myths
Public understanding is shaped by fragments: a headline, a television plot, a social-media story, or one person’s experience. These can turn a complex family system into stereotypes.
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