Glencoe Health

Introduction:
In this lesson, you learned about many types of families. Two very special types of families are adoptive families and foster families. Foster parents and adoptive parents make the choice to bring a child who needs a home into their family. The Web site below has more information about the differences between being a foster parent and being an adoptive parent. It also discusses how foster parents can become adoptive parents.

Links to Explore:
Foster Parents Considering Adoption
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_fospar.cfm

Directions:

• Click on the link and read the fact sheet.
• Then answer the following questions:

1			Identify four changes that foster parents face when they decide to adopt their foster child.
2			List two reasons that agencies used to discourage foster parents from adopting children in their care.
3			Of all the children adopted out of foster care between 1998 and 2002, what percentage were adopted by their foster parents?
4			What are the characteristics of children most likely to be in foster care in the United States?
5			List three advantages of adoption by foster parents.