May 31 Marks First Ever National Foster Parent Appreciation Day

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the end of National Foster Care Month in May, a designation given each year by Congress via special legislation. This year, for the first time ever, the legislation includes a special recognition of the many contributions that foster parents make to the wellbeing of children, specifically, by naming today May 31  National Foster Parent Appreciation Day. 

Children Need Amazing Parents, or CHAMPS, joins Congress and the rest of the country in celebrating our nation's foster parents. Foster parents are neighbors, work colleagues or friends, who step forward to help children in crisis by taking them into their home.

Facts about Foster Parents:

• 28 percent of Americans have considered becoming a foster parent. 
• Nearly half of foster parents quit in their first year of fostering.
• They quit for many reasons, but primarily due to lack of respect, lack of support, poor communication with caseworkers, insufficient supports to address child's needs and lack of say in the child's well-being.
• Stable foster parenting contributes to better outcomes for children in education, health and relationships.

CHAMPS is a national policy and communications campaign promoting bright futures for kids in foster care through the highest quality parenting.  CHAMPS focuses on improving foster parenting policies at the local, state and national levels. This requires a new partnership between foster parents and the public agencies responsible for foster care.  Agencies and the community are recognizing the critical role families play in ensuring the well-being of children in foster care. This includes birth, kinship, foster and adoptive families.

Contact CHAMPS for two examples of outsanding foster parents and to learn more about the need to change state and national policies to improve foster care.

Like CHAMPS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FosteringCHAMPS/  

Follow CHAMPS on Twitter: @fosteringchamps.

Contact Marci McCoy Roth for more information [email protected].

SOURCE CHAMPS