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Adoption Facts

There are 408,000 children and youth in foster care across the U.S.

Of these, 107,000 are legally freed for adoption and are waiting in foster care to find a family
Nearly 40% of these children will wait 3 years or more to be adopted.
Sadly, each year 26,000 youth age out of foster care without ever being adopted into a family, being forced to experience life on their own.
Studies continually show that youth who are adopted are given the family support and encouragement they need to become successful and contributing members of society.
Numerous myths and misperceptions exist about the process of foster care adoption and the youth available for foster care adoption. Children are in foster care through no fault of their own, but rather because their parents were unable or unwilling to care for them.
A Harris Interactive poll found that 69% of Americans believe as a society more should be done to encourage adoption, and 61% underestimate the number of children and youth available for foster care adoption
In TN, there are over 7,200 children are currently in your state’s foster care system
In TN, 1,622 of these children have been freed for adoption and are waiting for a family
In TN, these children will wait in care for almost 3 years to be adopted
In TN, 739 youth were never adopted and aged out of foster car

Photo listing of children in TN foster care waiting to be adopted:
http://www.adoptuskids.org/states/tn/browse.aspx