What are the benefits of foster adoption?

The Benefits of Foster Adoption On average, children will remain in state foster care for approximately two years, while 6% of children have remained in this same care for upwards of five years or longer. Typically, there are around 443,000 children in foster care in the entire United States; however, back in 2017, there were more than 690,000 in the country’s foster care system alone.

When it comes to adoption, there are several options available, including domestic adoption (either open or private), international adoption, agency adoption, and foster care.

You have probably heard about the foster care system, and the negativity that surrounds foster care and some foster parents, but for the right family, foster care is a beautiful way to give a child stability, love, and the feeling of family.

Foster care is a temporary living situation, that can be turned permanent through adoption, for children who can’t be cared for by their parents and families and need to live with unrelated foster parents who can care for and support them.

If foster care is something that you’re interested in, below we’ll go over some benefits of taking in children through the foster care system.

Tax Credit All adoptions, including foster care, qualify for a special tax credit of more than $13,000, which can be used for a total of five years. If you had a tax liability totaling $3,000 one year, you will be able to carry the other amount over for the next five years until the credit is spent or for five years. This kind of tax credit will help provide you extra income to help care for your foster child and give them the warm and welcoming home they deserve.

Free College Another great benefit of foster care is that, depending on the state, they will be able to attend college for absolutely free! While this is a benefit that’s not available in every state, it is available in several throughout the country. Check into your state laws if you’re unsure if this will apply to the state you currently live in.

Cost to Foster Parents One other great benefit of foster care adoption is that this specific option is one that costs little to no money at all for the prospective parents. In fact, most foster care adoptions will only cost money if the adoptive parents choose to use a private lawyer rather than the one that the state offers. Typically, private adoptions can cost upwards of $30,000; however, foster care adoptions can cost less than $1,000.

Giving a Child a Home The best benefit of all? Giving a child in need of a warm and loving home, a place to call their own, and for them to feel loved and cared for.

Thank you for reading our blog! We are Hope 4 Kids, providing hope and a future to children and families around the world. We’re happy to have helped you learn more about the benefits of foster adoption.