How Much Does Foster Parenting Pay?

Foster parents (also known as foster caregivers or foster care providers) take care of children who have been put out of their homes as a result of abuse, neglect, or conflicts, as outlined in this research.

Foster caregivers provide for all the child’s needs as they would their own child. In most cases, foster parents do not get paid but are reimbursed by the state in which they provide their services.

Also, read on this website:

• What Is Foster Parenting?
• What is Permissive Parenting?
• What Parenting Style Is the Wong Family Exhibiting?

The reimbursements are usually given daily and help cover expenses related to the child’s care. The reimbursement amount varies by state, but most states follow a standard guide to determine how much money to give to foster parents.

Foster Care Rates

Foster care rates might not be enough to cover the services being rendered, so foster care often requires some charitable or philanthropic support. Here are examples of foster care rates from different states. Note that the rates depend on the physical state and age of the child.

1. Utah: There are three levels of foster care. The higher the level, the more specialized the care is. For level one, the reimbursement for children who are five years old or younger is $15.60 per day; for children who are six years old to eleven years old, the reimbursement is $16.60 per day; and for children who are twelve years old or older, foster parents are paid  $17.60 per day. At level two, foster parents are reimbursed at a daily rate of $18.60 for children who are five years old or younger; $19.60 for children who are six years old to eleven years old; and $20.60 for children who are twelve years old or older. And for level three, the daily reimbursement rate is $28.95 for children who are five years old or younger; $29.95 for children who are six years old to eleven years old; and $30.95 for children who are twelve years old or older.
2. New Hampshire: The daily reimbursement rate is $16.59 for children who are five years old or younger, $18.00 for children who are six years old to eleven years old, and $21.41 for children who are twelve years old or older. There is also a second level for children with specialized care. The daily rates are as follows: $21.48 for children who are five years old or younger, $23.31 for children who are six years old to eleven years old, and $27.74 for children who are twelve years old or older.
3. Georgia: Foster parents receive daily reimbursements of up to $25.27 for children who are five years old or younger, $27.26 for children who are six years old to twelve years old, and $29.65 for children who are over the age of twelve. The state of Georgia amended its rates in 2017 to match the growing burden of foster care standards.

Again, foster care has no actual pay or income but instead daily reimbursements to help ease child-rearing expenses and to aid foster parents in what is often engaging but strenuous work. Read here for more insight on what being a foster parent involves and for more details about payment. Also, go online for information pertaining to different states, including their reimbursement rates.

References

• Boots, Shelley Waters, and Rob Geen. “Family Care or Foster Care? How State Policies Affect Kinship Caregivers. New Federalism: Issues and Options for States. Series A, No. A-34. Assessing the New Federalism: An Urban Institute Program to Assess Changing Social Policies.” (1999). Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED440205
• Needell, Barbara, M., Alan Brookhart, and Seon Lee. “Black Children and Foster Care Placement in California.” Children and Youth Services Review 25, no. 5–6 (2003): 393–408. Retrieved from https://uncch.pure.elsevier.com