There are plenty of reasons you might talk yourself out of considering foster care.

“I don’t own a home.”
“I already have kids or pets.”
“I’m too busy.”
“I have a full-time job.”

Becoming a foster parent isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. But you don’t need to wait until you have a specific kind of household to be ready to be a foster parent. And while we might spend years waiting for just the right opportunity to open our hearts and homes, there are children in our community waiting for a foster family now.

Children in foster care have experienced trauma in their young lives and need a temporary place where they can feel safe and encouraged. But there are not always enough foster homes immediately available, and children with no foster family must live in a shelter until a home is found for them.

You can make a difference by becoming a foster parent.

There is no “typical” foster family. Foster parents must be at least 21 years old, but they can be single, cohabitating, married, living in multi-generational family homes, and homes with or without biological children. They can be employed or stay-at-home parents. Foster parents are homeowners, renters, and pet owners. Foster parents are individuals of all ethnicities, all walks of life, and all sexual orientations. They’re people just like you and me.

Last year, western Iowa children were referred into foster care 940 times. If you’ve ever considered becoming a foster parent, now is the time. Iowa children are waiting.