Choice is the key to building stable foster care system

This past Mother’s Day, my family and I had the privilege of welcoming
a reporter and camera into our home from the local CBS affiliate in
Minnesota. They were doing a piece commemorating the special day, and
as a mom to five biological children and 23 foster children, I suppose
I offered them a unique perspective. When I think of Mother’s Day, I
usually think of my own mother; honoring her and honoring my
grandmothers. Fortunately, my husband and I have had the incredible
opportunity to follow in their footsteps and raise children of our own.

Folks often ask me, “Michele, you’ve had 28 kids in your home throughout the years. How did you do it?” Honestly, it wasn’t easy, but my husband Marcus and I did our best to stay focused and prioritize our lives. It’s God first, husband and wife second, our kids and then work.

{mosads}And as part of that work, in addition to our small business and my work in politics, I am proud that we opened our doors to help troubled teens, bringing in 23 foster teenagers throughout the years.

Our goal and our desire was to open our home and bring the children in to show them love between a mother and father in a stable home environment. To show them what structure is and the importance of adhering to a schedule. To not only give them an idea of what a family looks like, but, throughout all this, to work toward the long-term goal of reuniting them with their mother and father.

And now, as a member of Congress, I’m fortunate to be able to continue my work with foster children by serving on the Advisory Board of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). It is an absolute honor to serve on the board because now, more than ever, we need to do all we can to speak up for these precious children whose voices are often not heard. In fact, one of the biggest obstacles foster children face is the lack of public awareness of their precarious situations. Here are some startling statistics compiled by CCAI:

• More than 29,000 foster youth age out of the system each year with no one to call family and no place to call home.

• 80 percent of foster youth did not earn enough to be fully self-supporting four years after leaving care, and 90 percent were earning less than $10,000 a year.

• 65 percent of former foster children and youth experienced seven or more school changes while living in the foster care system.

• Only 3 percent of foster care alumni complete a four-year college degree.

• 46 percent of foster youth who age out of the system have not completed high school; 48 percent were unemployed in the first 12 to 16 months; 25 percent experienced homelessness within four years after leaving care; 84 percent became parents outside of wedlock; and 30 percent became dependent on public assistance.

There are about 460,000 children today in the U.S. living in foster care, and while great progress has been made through organizations like CCAI to get the word out, there’s still more work to be done on behalf of these special children.

As a federal policymaker, I have introduced the School Choice for Foster Kids Act, H.R. 2072, a bipartisan bill to help foster children gain access to quality, stable education early in life. Many foster children must change schools whenever they change homes, causing them to be uprooted from their daily routine and separated from their friends and the teachers who are familiar with their needs. The School Choice for Foster Kids Act would give states the flexibility to make younger foster children eligible for education vouchers – currently designated only for students 16 to 23 years old – through the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, and it allows foster parents to send a child to his or her original school or to choose a school that can undertake the unique challenges their foster child might face.

Instead of separating foster children from trusted friends and teachers, we should give them the opportunity to stay at a school if it is fulfilling their needs. At a time when these children most need stability, we should strive to meet that need. I’ve already testified before the House Ways and Means Committee regarding this bill, and I’ll continue to fight for this common sense piece of legislation.

In the end, families who choose to take part in foster care will be rewarded over and over with the joy and success their children have. It was the best decision my husband and I made together, and the 23 calls I received on Mother’s Day prove we made the right choice.

Bachmann has fostered 23 teenagers over the years and serves on the Advisory Board of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI).