Where do I find how much foster parents are paid per child.

Yeah, my kids like to get out and go, so we get a lot of use out of our yearly memberships (we also belong to a private swim club, so are at the pool almost daily in the summer). But, if you're only going to someplace like that once a year, it doesn't really take up much money overall, kwim? Paying $20/head for a zoo trip once a year isn't going to put you over the stipend ($20 divided by 12 months for one kid-- that is 1.66/month per child of your stipend). That's my point. Is it a lot of money in 1 month? Maybe. Is $20 a large percentage of a $600 stipend? Not really, IMO. But I can see how it would look like a large expense all at one time if you had a family of 7, however, doing the math over time, it really isn't that expensive. Maybe you wouldn't need a van, and you'd have a smaller car, but you'd still have a vehicle. Car insurance would be roughly the same. Just gas would be cheaper, and that is assuming you bought a smaller car that got better gas mileage than a minivan. I understand that for some who have a monthly stipend of $240 or whatever one of the posts said in this thread, it would be extremely difficult, but most on here are getting a stipend of at least $550/month for each child in their care. I tend to think that most people who can't make that number work are already living beyond their means, and just continue that mindset with their foster children.

The $675 per month COMBINED, not per child, that we receive for the 3 girls is definitely being spent just on increased food, electric, gas, etc. I hear what you're saying, but it depends on the state and how much each state provides. There might be some months we don't spend that, but I'm guessing that more often than not we're going above. Most kids from marriages get more than $225 per month in child support, you know?

Well we actually have 4 cars, but 5 kids won't fit in a traditional 4 door sedan. And we have kids with food issues lactaid milk is 4.69 a half gallon here, we have one who has Celiacs, so no gluten, and a all organic diet in eastern Kentucky means I drive nearly a hour to a whole foods grocery store. We also have a home phone and security system included in our utilities bc bio mom of one set has attempted to burn down her exes house..... That's 120 a month that is strictly bc of one placement. Not to mention our homes are destroyed by these kids, if I didn't have 5 kids in my house my couch would last longer, my table wouldn't have carvings in it from toddlers, my carpet would last longer my washing machine would last longer, I could drive a compact car which is cheaper and uses less gas. I love these kids and plan on adopting but as foster kids but as foster parents I am nothing more then a glorified underpaid babysitter..... I cannot see how anyone could truly MAKE money doing this, by the time I invested in a swing set and trampoline and a freezer to store food for that many and bigger cars to transport them My only luxury in foster care is affording a 250 directv bill that we didn't have Pre foster parenting, but to get all the educational channels and Disney/nickelodeon. Everything else I can honestly say is spent on the kids

Honestly it annoys the heck out of me to see a discussions turn this way, where people feel they need to justify how the stipend is spent entirely on the foster child. I think foster parents SHOULD BE PAID! It should not be volunteer work, but that is really what it is. Volunteers usually get some nice perksӔ for their help, such as free food, free entertainment , mileage, expenses, thank you gifts, socialization and the like, without much liability for the work you do. (It is not like you are going to be criminally prosecuted if you seat someone in the wrong seat at the community theater!) Does it appeal to our sense of noble suffering to not benefit in anyway from having foster kids??? I for one WOULD NOT be fostering if I did not have day care paid for and did not receive a stipend sufficient to cover the childs expenses. Good grief if it werenҒt for volunteer foster parents the states would be paying their institutional rate for care which likely exceeds $250 a day for a minimal needs kid. And those places are often run by Not For Profit agencies, so even they are supposedly not profiting at that rate. So if fostering allows you to buy cable tv, to have steak instead of hamburger, to get a YMCA membership, to turn the A/C two degrees lower, or to be a stay at home mom, why is that a BAD THING????? Why do we feel the need to not profit in anyway (even if it is only intrinsically) from fostering? To the OP, the rates in the state survey are inaccurate for AZ and are lower as rates were cut about 5 years ago, after that survey. The base rate for most kids is just under $20 a day and can go up to about $30 a day for teens with serious, serious issues as an SP3. So, $600-900 a month to feed, clothe, transport, entertain, educate, worry about, love and try to heal a broken child.

It's not just what you spend ON the child...it's what you spend that is silent spending too. In our training they put it plainly and our trainer who is a CW said, if you can get higher stipend for a difficult child, DO IT! Room and board which is the cost of the bedroom, in our area we could rent a bedroom out for $500 (mid range in our town) that means they pay that, then they pitch in for the electricity and then the water, then garbage and then they buy their own food. I don't have to spend a dime driving my renter (if I had one) around to apt's or visits or activities. At the end of deducting the fee's stated above I would need to buy my foster youth clothing, toys and shoes along with activities and outings. So its not just how you spend money on them, they do use resources that are kinda hidden. So while it may look like some are "making money" it's seriously questionable IMO and not much. When we started fostering in this county the stipend was more than a couple of hundred dollars less than it is now. CA got a decent rate increase which does allow us to do way more with our kids. We always did but now more of that is covered by the stipend.

I totally can see those numbers. I pay 75/month for insurance on my 10 year old vehicle and it is just me. When I got my girls, my electricity, water, and gas (gas water) all TRIPLED! I kid you not! Groceries TRIPLED. The girls LOVED fresh fruit (good but expensive.) Utilities are less now because the boys haven't yet learned the fine art of leaving lights on, flushing the toilet incessissently, etc. I spend at least 150 a week on food, for just the three of us, and they are toddlers. Back to the main thread, and to servnjah, I have no issue with married couples who make a sacrifice to do foster care by having one quit their job. When I was county, our FPA president and his wife did that. He quit because she had more tenure as a teacher. So he was a SAHD. It allowed them to take in the older kids who most of us working parents shy away from. ( I can't be getting called out of work for problem kids all of the time.) If I could afford to pay my bills by taking in 5 kids, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I think having "professional" foster homes is an untapped resource. But, I am a loving, caring, foster mom. Those girls I did respite for. They had two sibs. I am guessing at least the youngest was on the higher treatment level. so, between the 4, I estimate that they were pulling in about 3500$ a month. Those girls came to me with tattered suitcases, and threadbare clothing, that I know based on style were the old hand-me-downs from the FMs own daughters. The children were all warehoused, boys and girls, in one bedroom. They are NEVER taken on trips or anything. FM drives around a beat up old car with the kids, but has a nice new huge SUV as well as her husband. I sometimes check her FB and in every single picture ever posted there is not one single evidence of those kids. Now, maybe she is just "that" careful, but I don't think so. I believe based on what the oldest told me that they basically stay in their room watching TV all day, and the youngest bio daughter tends to a lot of their needs. This FM actually lists the agency as her employer. She also puts on airs about how great she is being a foster mom. So yeah, do I think she is doing it for the money, you better believe it! And it made me soooo mad. Those children were NOT thriving. The oldest one not only did not know her ABCs, at almost 5, she didn't even know all of her colors. BE is not even 3 yet and he knows all of the primaries and the secondaries except for green. He can sing the latter part of the alphabet song by himself. Now, if you ask people outside, they'd say this is a great foster family. And I am not trying to insinuate that they didn't have sincere reason fro getting involved, but those kids are warehoused. It broke my heart. But, nobody would ever guess that they are doing it for the money because they are middle class white family with a professional husband. Fostering those kids, who have no appointments, and who the agnecy transports to visits because this FF lives an hour from our county visit center, allows that mother to not work outside of the home and be there for her BIO children. That I have a problem with. So, if those folks can figure out how to pull it off, surely people on the lower end of the income scale can too. The piece I don't understand, our agency pays 125$ a quarter per child for clothing, which is generous. So why didn't those girls have new clothes. As for those families that take in the larger sib sets and DO take good care of the children, I have no issue with mom having a pedicure, or even taking a short family vacation without the foster children. You have to have some of that time in the mix.

In Long Island, there's a place that takes Medicaid for glasses. However, with my hours, it's not convenient. So, I''ve paid out of pocket for about 7 pairs. B has gotten better. He got a name brand and has held onto them. WOO HOO. Temporarymom: How does that family get away with boys and girls in the same room? I've had 2 cw's look at the kids's bedrooms.

Here, they are allowed to be in the same room as long as the oldest child is not over 5. I think they still have those kids, and they were not an adoptive resource, so not sure what happens when the older one turns 6 in November. My guess, they'll get a pass on it. :-(

I will not engage in a discussion that may contribute to the negative images or perceptions that persons may have on the foster care family. I will not justify my life style or choices to others, of why or how we "afford" foster care.My foster children leave my home with much more than they arrived with. Weather it is "stuff", life experiences, or just a safe place to lay their head down at night.I love what I do, and my life. I take great insult that others believe they (I) must justify what we do (or not do)with a monthly stipend, for the children we care for. Remember we are on the same team

Very well said! Thank you.

I got a whooping $345 for each teen...Little A drove. So his insurance was $216 per month, car was $3000, prom, $500, plus class ring, yearbooks, pics, homecoming, vacation (just him was $1600) movies, dinners out, food, clothing (he likes hollister), glasses, contacts...did I make money? Not a chance in h@@@. My food budget pre teens was $400 a month...now it's $1200. Electric tripled, water tripled, had to by a new van, gas quadrupled ( I work from home). We went for pizza last week & it was $114 for just the 5 of us. Best of luck to anyone who can even break even!

Sorry, servnjah! I did not mean to be insulting to you! I totally think it is fine if you are living within your means, taking great care of your children, and get to do some nicer things for yourself along the way! We would be in the same boat if it were not for having to hire a mother's helper. For us, one more kid has meant a lot less money in the end, so I hate that people think it would equal more. I haven't had placements since the first sibling group that should qualify for even moderate care, which is probably why we are able to handle so many young ones. That is great that they recognize the needs of your children. Oh, and you don't have to justify not sending little ones to school to me. I've been homeschooling since part way through my son's kinder year--and he's just starting 9th grade! Again, I do apologize for not using my words more carefully.

I didn't read any that looked like justifications or need to do so. We all are just discussing the potential for foster parents to be doing this for the money. Clearly none of us are or we'd not be out here on a support forum. But that doesn't take away from the reality that some do foster care or even adopt large sib sets to supplement their income. And I wouldn't even care if they were if it meant the kids are well cared for, but often they are not. I think it is healthy to have these discussions. It certainly enlightens the huge disparity of financial support between the states. I have to supplement BE's per diem every month just to pay daycare. But if I was married, didn't work, there would be at least 400-500 left over each month. But that is ok because most foster parents use any extra for items that they'd not need if they didn't foster, like larger vehicles. Home additions, extra electricity for larger freezers. Of course, I'd expect that those with teen boys likely spend that extra I food, shoes, and clothing because those are big budget busters when boys are teens. If they could have better monitoring and selection criteria, I still think that professional foster families would be a huge asset to the system, especially for the older kids. Having five in a home is better than 20 on an institution.

To answer your question Tempmom, This is insulting, especially the 2nd paragraph.Perception is your (my) reality. I perceive this to be judgmental, and have stated as much.Until someone has raised teenagers, and (or a large family) several (3 or more) at one time, (special needs , foster care) and tried to provide multiple opportunities for them, based on their needs and ages, in addition to getting daily needs met, that person is clueless to the costs incurred.My lifestyle is not that of one "just to get by" , or "survive". We live life to its fullest, experiences, and opportunities galore. I give the same to the awesome children in my care. Part of my "job" as a FP is to expose them to a better life, and that's what we do.Where I live, or how much my cars or insurance costs, how much I spend eating out or road trips is no ones place to judge. If I choose to take my girls for a mani-pedi- eyebrow wax at an upscale salon, why does that matter? That's something left to me and my DH. I have boundaries, and this is one of them. I expect this from someone who isn't educated in the FS system, not from those who are living it.

Ok, I see your point there. I was looking at the thread as a whole, and I still think it is a worthy discussion, especially with so many new members. I went into a lot of debt with my first two so I did do the math once to see how much I was spending. Had I realized then that it would be so much, I would probably have only waited for one child. The reality is that things do vary this much by area. My ex-bf, I just got hired at my company, big mistake, lol, lives 45 minutes north of me and his cost of living is between 1/4 (mortgage) and 1/2 (everything else) what I pay just because he lives in a small city. So on the same salary, his money goes much farther than mine. That is what we have her. I'd say at least 50% of the families I meet in training live in the outskirts boundary areas. So to them, that foster per diem means more than to me. But again, I don't think anyone should have to justify the money. We should be paid for what we do.