Celebrating Foster Care Families: Recognizing Foster Parents During the Month of May
May is recognized as National Foster Care Awareness month which allows us the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the foster families in our community.
National Foster Care Awareness month provides individuals and communities with an opportunity to show our appreciation and recognition of foster parents for their willingness to bring children and youth into their homes and care for them where there are factors that may create barriers for children and youth to be in the care of their parents, and to raise awareness around children and youth who are residing in foster care. National Foster Care Awareness month also aims to promote support for child welfare systems both locally and at the national level and support policies that lead to safety, permanency, and wellbeing for children and youth.
For 2026, the theme for National Foster Care Awareness month is “Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities”. Specifically, honoring the role of foster parents within the child welfare system, and putting an emphasis on creating a child welfare system that is authentic, and supports youth who are preparing to leave foster care.
Key Statistics About Foster Care (data from submissions for federal fiscal year 2025, report for AFCARS report Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System)
As of September 30, 2025:
There were 331,747 children and youth in foster care throughout the United States.
During 2025:
175,008 children and youth entered foster care throughout the United States, and
169,927 children and youth exited foster care throughout the United States.
77,745 or 46% of children were reunified with a parent or parents.
15,030 or 9% of children/youth aged out of foster care
33,239 or 20% of children were in foster more than 3 years
In Colorado as of September 30, 2025:
There were 4,194 children in foster care.
In Colorado:
6,603 total children were served in foster care in 2025.
2,998 children entered foster care in 2025,
2,409 children exited foster care in 2025.
1,067 or 44% of children were reunified with a parent or parents.
199 or 8% of children/youth aged out of foster care
204 or 8% of children were in foster care more than 3 years
It is important to recognize that being a foster parent can be an emotional and demanding experience.
Here at Life Stories, we want to express our appreciation to foster parents for everything they do to provide consistency and stability for the children and youth in our community. We would also like to convey our gratitude for foster parents who work to become a supportive connection for children and youth during an incredibly difficult point in their lives.
So, to all of the foster parents out there, thank you for being a shoulder to lean on when the children and youth in your home are struggling with complex emotions and missing their parents. Thank you for everything you do to help the children and youth in your home feel a sense of belonging. Thank you for lending your support and encouragement to the children and youth in your home when it comes time for them to return to the care of their parents. Additionally, thank you for taking the children and youth residing in your homes back and forth to their visits with their parents and families. Thank you for running the children and youth in your homes to appointments with their service providers. Thank you for attending the various case-related meetings to keep the parents and the professionals informed about how the children and youth in your homes are doing. Thank you for opening your homes to caseworkers, foster care coordinators, and the children’s and youth’s attorneys. Last but certainly not least, thank you for opening your homes to our CASA Volunteers each week so that our Volunteers are able to visit with their CASA children and youth and ensure that the CASA Volunteers are able to advocate for the needs, and the wellbeing of their CASA children and youth.
Respectfully Submitted by Brianna Fischer, CASA Program Manager