Centre Co., PA (WJAC) — For a child, very little is more traumatic than facing the prospect of being forced to live in a new home, with a new family, through a foster program.
And the need for foster families to host kids has increased, especially in the wake of the pandemic.
Centre County's Children and Youth Services office is one of a limited number of counties in the state to maintain its own foster care program.
“We truly believe to help our families and kids to succeed that when they come into our custody, we want to be able to keep them within their community. That’s going to help them succeed, that’s going to help them with the trauma they're experiencing.”
But like many foster care programs, the numbers in Centre County present a challenge.
Currently, close to 70 kids are in need of foster care, with only 60 registered foster families.
Officials say the COVID crisis added another challenge.
“It created a lot of uncertainty. Not being able to predict when school was in session, what daycare would look like, all of those things that go into caring for a child created concern.”
So, with May being National Foster Care month, CYS in Centre County is stepping up awareness and recruitment for new foster families.
They say one of the greatest needs is finding homes for kids, who are about 8 years old, in their early school years.
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