Less than 10 minutes
When a child is picked up from home, that may be all the time they have to gather what they think they will need.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗Understand the need
Foster care is closer than many realize.
Behind every number is a child, a family, and a moment when practical care can protect dignity.
The first hours
What the transition can look like
Transitions do not always begin at home
Children may enter care from a school, hospital, police station, or another unfamiliar setting.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗National
National foster care facts
More than 527,000 children
passed through the U.S. foster care system in 2023.
Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway ↗4.5 children per 1,000
is the average rate of children in foster care across the United States.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗Nearly 20,000 young people
age out of foster care each year without permanent family connections.
Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway ↗Kansas
Kansas foster care facts
Approximately 6,000 youth
are currently in foster care in Kansas.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗About 3,000 children
enter foster care in Kansas each year.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗Missouri
Missouri foster care facts
More than 12,000 children
are in foster care in Missouri on a typical day.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗Roughly 19,500 children
are served by Missouri’s foster care system each year.
Source: CPI foster care facts ↗CPI’s response
The first 48 hours matter.
CPI provides new, age-appropriate backpacks filled with clothing, hygiene essentials, and comfort items, placed with community professionals who can put them into a child’s hands when they are needed most.
Help build the next backpackFacts change over time. CPI reviews sources and dates so this page can stay accurate and useful.