Over 443,000 U.S. children were in foster care as of 2018. The majority of children entering foster care are less than one year old.
In 2016, Pennsylvania had 44,359 total referrals for child abuse and neglect, up 66% from 2012, the highest number of reports recorded to date.
The number of Lehigh County foster care referrals doubled between 2016 to 2017.
In 2016, approximately 81,884 grandparents in Pennsylvania had the primary responsibility of caring for their grandchildren.
47% of children entering foster care are white, 21% are black/African American, and 20% are Hispanic. Over 75% of youth in foster are separated from their siblings.
Neglect/abuse is the number one reason for children entering foster care (62%).
118,000 children in the U.S. are awaiting adoption.
