National Foster Care Month: What Let It Be Us Is Doing to Support Children and Families

National Foster Care Month: What Let It Be Us Is Doing to Support Children and Families

Every May, National Foster Care Month serves as an important reminder: thousands of children and teens across the country need the safety, stability, and support of caring adults. It is a time to recognize the resilience of children in foster care, honor foster families and professionals who walk alongside them, and inspire communities to take action.

National Foster Care Month has been recognized each May in the United States since 1988, when it was established to raise awareness about the needs of children and youth in foster care, recognize foster families, and encourage more people to get involved through fostering, adoption, mentoring, and advocacy (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2026). Today, the observance continues nationwide as an opportunity to focus on permanency, family support, and the well-being of children in care.

Why National Foster Care Month Matters

Behind every statistic is a child with hopes, interests, talents, and dreams. Across the United States, more than 365,000 children and youth are currently in foster care (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2026). Each year, approximately 18,500 young people age out of foster care without permanent family connections (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2026).

Many children are reunified with their families when it is safe and possible. In recent federal reporting, 45% of children exiting foster care were reunified with parents or primary caregivers, while 27% exited through adoption (Christian Alliance for Orphans, 2026). These numbers remind us that foster care is often a temporary bridge to permanency – whether through reunification, guardianship, or adoption.

Foster Care in Illinois

Illinois continues to have one of the larger foster care populations in the country. According to statewide child welfare data, 17,589 children and youth ages 0–21 were in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in late 2025 (Illinois CASA, 2025). During that same period, approximately 4,100 children entered foster care statewide (Illinois CASA, 2025).

These numbers highlight an ongoing need for foster families, adoptive families, and strong community support systems throughout Illinois.

What Let It Be Us Is Doing to Help

At Let It Be Us, this mission guides everything we do year-round, but May gives us an even greater platform to raise awareness and mobilize support. Through innovative programs, educational outreach, and community partnerships, we work to connect children and teens in foster care with the permanency and belonging they deserve.

Supporting Children Through Connection and Permanency

One of the ways we support youth in care is through the Heart Gallery of Illinois, which helps shine a light on children and teens waiting for adoptive families. By sharing their personalities, strengths, and stories in a thoughtful, child-centered way, we help prospective families see beyond a file and connect with the child behind it.

We also manage the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois, which helps licensed families learn about waiting children across the state. This program creates pathways to permanency and helps more children move from uncertainty to the stability of a permanent family.

Recruiting and Supporting Foster Families

Children need more than placements; they need homes where they feel safe, cared for, and supported. That is why Let It Be Us works to recruit and educate prospective foster parents, helping compassionate individuals and families understand how they can step into this need.

Whether someone is exploring emergency foster care, traditional foster care, therapeutic foster care, or adoption from foster care, education is often the first step. Throughout the year, we host webinars, information sessions, and community events designed to answer questions honestly and help families move forward with confidence.

Raising Awareness Through Storytelling

Awareness creates action, and storytelling helps communities connect to the real needs children face. This National Foster Care Month, we are proud to launch a brand-new season of the Let It Be Us Podcast.

Our podcast creates space for honest conversations about foster care, adoption, parenting, advocacy, and the moments that often go unseen. Listeners will hear from professionals, foster and adoptive families, and voices connected to child welfare – all sharing insight, encouragement, and perspective.

This new season is launching in May to honor National Foster Care Month and continue one of the most important forms of advocacy: conversation. When people understand the realities of foster care, they are more likely to step in, support, and become part of the solution.

How You Can Help This Month

National Foster Care Month is not only about awareness – it is about action. You can make a difference by:

• Learning more about becoming a foster parent
• Exploring adoption through foster care
• Listening to and sharing our podcast
• Sharing resources with friends and family (send this blog to them!)
• Advocating for children and families in your community

Every child deserves to know they matter. Every child deserves safety, stability, and the opportunity to thrive.

This May, Let It Be Us is proud to stand with children in foster care, the families who care for them, and the communities working to create brighter futures. We invite you to join us.

References

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2026). National Foster Care Month. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/

Christian Alliance for Orphans. (2026). Foster Care Statistics. https://cafo.org/foster-care-statistics/

Illinois CASA. (2025). Illinois Child Welfare Statistics at a Glance. https://illinoiscasa.org/who-we-are/illinois-child-welfare-statistics-at-a-glance.html

Daisy Taylor

Marketing and Technology Specialist & Recruitment Event Manager 

Daisy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from DePaul University. She has experience as a creative strategist specializing in social media management, content creation, and digital marketing. She is equipped with cutting-edge knowledge in Google Analytics and consumer behavior used to develop visionary marketing campaigns that drive brand growth. Daisy’s strong marketing background will support the Let It Be Us Adoption Listing Service leadership in Illinois child welfare.

About Let It Be Us:
Let It Be Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recruitment, matching and placement within foster care and adoption across the State of Illinois. Through innovative programming and strategic partnerships, Let It Be Us aims to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system. Learn more at www.letitbeus.org.