q and a

I am just answering some questions today with material that anyone could google and find out for themselves. When people ask us these questions (usually incredulously) I like to be able to respond in love and with information that will educate them.

Q: Why are choosing foster care for your adoption? (Usually followed by, "do you know what you are getting in to?")

A: 

• Currently, there are approximately 425,000 children in foster care in the United States. It's estimated that 115,000 are eligible for adoption.
• In 2009, about 57,466 children were adopted from foster care.
• Median age of child in foster care: 8.1 years.
• Race/ethnicity of children in foster care: 38% Caucasian, 30% African-American, 22% Hispanic, 10% other.
• The average child in foster care goes through three different placements and stays in the system for about 30 months.

Q: Why do you want a sibling group? (Usually followed by "One at a time is the way God designed it for a reason!")

A:

• Siblings have a shared—often difficult—past and can provide a support system that no one else can. 
• Brothers and sisters can help reduce the negative effects from the loss and separation of their parents.
• Separating siblings puts each child at greater risk of emotional disturbances and difficulties in school. 
• For some children, separation from siblings may cause greater stress than separation from their own parents, particularly those children whose parents were absent both physically and emotionally.
• Siblings miss each other. Most adults who were adopted as older children return to agencies to search, not for their birthparents, but for siblings. 
• Keeping siblings together improves their self-esteem. 
• Siblings prefer to be together. 

All of these statistics were found at Adoptive Families.