Foster Parenting 101 - Introduction

Children enter the foster care system when they are removed from their homes for safety reasons — most often due to neglect, instability, or family hardship. The primary role of a foster parent is to provide a safe, nurturing, and stable environment until a permanent home can be found.

Ideally, children are reunited with their birth parents, a process known as reunification. If reunification isn’t possible, the next option is kinship care, where the child lives with a relative. If neither is viable, the child may stay with their foster family or move toward adoption. Sometimes, foster parents themselves adopt the child (foster-to-adopt), while in other cases, another family steps forward. Sadly, some children age out of foster care without ever finding a permanent family.

Why Children Enter Foster Care

A common misconception is that most children in foster care have been abused. In reality, most are removed due to unstable living conditions — often connected to poverty, substance use, or parental mental health struggles. Many biological parents love their children deeply but lack the support or resources to care for them safely at the time.

The overarching goal of foster care is to help families heal and reunify, not to separate them permanently.

Fostering vs. Adopting

People who consider adoption often also explore fostering, since both involve offering love and stability to a child who isn’t biologically theirs.

However, fostering comes with unique challenges. Many children in the system have experienced trauma, loss, or neglect, and there’s no guarantee that foster parents will become their permanent caregivers. Because of this uncertainty, states often face a shortage of foster homes.

That said, fostering is typically faster, less complex, and far less costly than domestic or international adoption.

Financial Aspects

The initial costs of fostering are usually minimal. In fact, many foster parents receive a placement within days or even hours of being approved.

Most foster parents are eligible for monthly stipends and tax benefits, and children in foster care generally qualify for Medicaid coverage. While it can sometimes be difficult to find pediatric or therapeutic providers who accept Medicaid, once located, most care is covered at little to no cost.