About the Children

Over 122,000 children and youth across the country are waiting to be adopted from foster care. The children spend an average of three years in foster care while waiting for the stability of an adoptive family.

Who are the waiting children?

Children who wait entered foster care through no fault of their own and have experienced trauma and loss. They are generally over the age of nine; members of a sibling group; children of color; and children with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. They deserve connections with adults who can provide them with non-judgmental, unconditional love and commitment to help them thrive throughout their lifetime.

WHAT IS FOSTER CARE?

Foster care provides a temporary family life experience, in a licensed home, for a child or youth removed from their own home due to abuse and neglect. Foster parents provide a safe home for children and youth while their parents learn new skills. Foster parents play a critical role in helping children heal and are a vital part of the child welfare team. Foster parents support children and their families in preparing them to reunite.

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Meet the Waiting Children

Visit our Meet Waiting Children searchable profiles and Heart Gallery websites to get to know the waiting children. Then, create an account to ask for more information about any of the youth.

Meet Waiting Children Heart Galleries

Connect with youth

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CONNECTION EVENTS

Raise the Future helps connect youth and families through Connection Events. These events are held in Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

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WAITING CHILD UPDATE

Sign up to receive a weekly update about children recently registered with Raise the Future who are waiting for an adoptive family.

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MENTORING

Developing life-long relationships with stable adults dramatically improves outcomes for older youth in the foster care system. This program is currently available in Colorado.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT ADOPTION

Download our information packet Making Connections: A Guide to Adoption to help get started on your journey towards adoption. Please be aware that guidelines, policies, and procedures will differ between states and even sometimes between counties within the same state. Use this information as a general guide and let us know if you have questions or need more information.
 

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LEARNING

All of the youth we work with have experienced the trauma of being removed from their families and placed in foster care. Many have also experienced other traumatic events in their lives. We encourage you to learn about caring for children who have experienced trauma.

Details for some of our Upcoming Classes are highlighted, while the On-demand Learning Center can be accessed below.

On-Demand Learning