7,771 Colorado children were in foster care at the end of 2007

885 foster children (11.4%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,232 foster children (15.9%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
1,696 foster children (21.8%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
3,958 foster children (50.9%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Colorado children spent an average of 25 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
795 children (10%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
1,160 children (15%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

Colorado's foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

995 children in foster care (12.8%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
3,530 children in foster care (45.4%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
69 children in foster care (0.9%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
25 children in foster care (0.3%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
25 children in foster care (0.3%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
280 children in foster care (3.6%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
2,845 children in foster care (36.6%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
8 children in foster care (0.1%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

Number of different placements in which a foster child lived in Colorado

2,863 children in foster care (36.8%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
1,730 children in foster care (22.2%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
961 children in foster care (12.4%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
2,073 children in foster care (26.7%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

1,762 Colorado children were waiting for adoption in 2007

232 foster children (13%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
440 foster children (25%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
661 foster children (38%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
429 foster children (24%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

Where did Colorado's children go after leaving foster care in 2007?

6,585 children in Colorado exited foster care in 2007
3,341 children (51%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,055 children (16%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
1,310 children (20%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
405 children (6%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
8 children (7%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Colorado IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

2,509 children in Colorado child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,486 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $59,624,862
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $20,528,307
For more information about your state's child welfare financing, please visit the State Child Welfare Policy Database at www.childwelfarepolicy.org.
*Except for the expenditure data, this information is from federal AFCARS data, 2007