Change a child's life! Reap the rewards of becoming a foster parent. Over 600,000 American children are in the foster care system each year—and the number is growing. So is the number of good-hearted people willing to become foster parents. But what does it take to become a foster parent? How does one begin? What about your own family? What does it cost? Success as a Foster Parent has the answers to these basic questions and much more. Written by Rachel Greene Baldino, MSW, in association with the National Foster Parent Association, it is the first and only commercially available book to clearly explain the process of becoming a foster parent. Readers will learn: • The questions to ask before making the decision to be a foster caregiver • How to research local state and private agencies • The financial cost and the compensation • The challenges involved in caring for children from infants to teens, including physically- and psychologically-challenged kids • Issues relating to schools, birth parents, supervisory visits, vacations, and dozens of other factors • All about adoption In addition to concrete information, there are dozens of moving stories drawn from interviews with veteran foster parents and tips about caregiving.