According to the American SPCC, by age 18, 1 out of every 8 American children experiences neglect, while 1 out of every 17 children enters foster care. Unfortunately, 50% of foster youth do not graduate from school. In Nebraska alone, there are over 3,000 children in foster care on any given day, with ages ranging from infants to 18 years old, and an average age between 5-12 years old. 

Typically, a child spends just over a year and a half in foster care, with returning home not being an option. However, many families face difficulty accessing substance abuse and mental health treatment, safety net supports, and other community resources, making it challenging to receive necessary help when needed.

“I was about 8 when I went into the system. Even though I didn’t have an awful experience, it was definitely obvious that my homes only wanted really young kids and babies and not an 8 year old who already had a voice and opinions,” senior Zoey Ferdinand said.

As a last resort, thousands of children are sent to juvenile detention centers, shelters, and group homes, where they are isolated from the outside world and treated harshly. Unfortunately, these conditions are not much better than the ones they were removed from.

“I was very grateful that nothing terrible happened to me like so many other kids in foster care,” Ferdinand said.

However, Nebraska’s Bridge to Independence Program aims to reduce the negative effects of this transition by providing support to youth, including Medicaid coverage, a monthly stipend for living expenses, and a caseworker to help navigate any challenges. 

“The system needs a little bit of work, but a lot of my experiences with it have been positive. I was put into a family who took care of my needs, and ultimately they help me to become a better person,” current foster child Pika McCulloch said.

Additionally, youth must be working, seeking work, or enrolled in school to participate in the program. Licensing Specialist Chey McColey oversees a program similar at the Priority Family Services in Bellevue, Nebraska, 

“Kids can come in on a 3a or 3b docket. 3a is when the parent is at fault, a 3b is when the child is at fault in some way. We see that more with some older kids. Kids with behavioral issues. That’s how it works in the court. Obviously there’s a number of reasons. You know, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and then overall neglect is what is screened,” McColey said.

While children can come into foster care for several reasons, the leading cause behind it, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is neglect. According to Boys Town, most cases have a child staying in a single home between 6-18 months.

“I was an 8 year old who got separated from her mom and twin brother, so I definitely wasn’t jumping for joy going into the system. I was in 2 homes in the 6 months while I was in the system. One home I was only in for about 2 months and the rest of the time I was in the other home,” Ferdinand said.

According to an article published by the Atlantic, by the time a child ages out of the system, a third of those children will have lived in 5 homes.

“I have been to 4. The first time, my mom got sick. The second one, my dad was put in jail and my step dad wasn’t able to take care of me because of the restraining order we had against him, and I was put into foster care. Then the third time, my mom went into psychosis, so her brain was a little messed up. One day, she got up and left me so I was put into foster care for negligence,” McCulloch said.

According to Connections Homes, 213,964 children under 18 entered the U.S. foster system in 2020. Foster care can provide stability for basic needs such as shelter, education, and medication. For some, foster homes can provide a space of healing and safety. For others, it can be a source of trauma years later. There are systems in place attempting to mitigate any possible traumatic experiences a child could encounter during their time in the system.

“It could have been a lot worse, I could have been having to take care of myself, and sitting and waiting for months for my mom to come back from psychosis. The other two times I was lucky and got put into a good family,” McCulloch said.