How much do you earn fostering a child

How much do foster parents get paid in California – Knotts Family Agency

Although parenting is a full-time job, you cannot think of foster parenting as a way to cash out. If you’re in it for the money, then you’re fostering for the wrong reasons. Foster families don’t actually get “paid” for taking care of a child. They receive reimbursements for the money they spend taking care of the child’s needs. This money is not meant to be used to buy a new car or pay for your rent or some other expenses that don’t have anything to do with the immediate essential needs of the foster child. Bear in mind that irrespective of the subsidy or financial assistance you receive, you will still be responsible for providing the essential items needed to adequately care for the child and the financial cost of that will be borne by you. If you’re planning on being approved and serving as a foster parent in California, you’ll probably still want to know how much reimbursement you can expect to receive to help offset some of the costs of raising your foster child. In this article, we answer some of the most common questions prospective foster parents have about much they can expect to get paid, how the amount is determined, and other incentives they might be given to help take some of the weight of raising a foster child off their shoulders.

How much do foster parents get paid monthly per child: Depending on the county where you’re licensed as a foster parent, the reimbursement package ranges from $25 to $30 per day for each child. This amount increases if you’re fostering a child with additional needs.
When do the payments start coming in: It usually takes a few weeks for the first payment to arrive, but that depends on the day the child was placed in your home. If you are with a Foster Family Agency (FFA), the counties generally send checks to the FFA around the initial 15 days of the month, so it could be that you have to wait a few weeks. Once the first payment arrives, you can expect to get a paycheck once every month to cover the essential needs of the child(ren) in your home.
Take advantage of the cost-saving opportunities available to you: We know that bringing up a child today is an expensive affair. The state tries to soften the impact on your finances even further by giving valuable tax breaks to foster parents. There are also programs offering free stuff like clothing for foster children.

To qualify as a foster parent, you must have a stable and verifiable source of income which you can use to meet your family’s basic needs—food, shelter, and clothing. The reimbursements you get cannot be used as a primary source of income to cater to your family’s financial needs.

1. How much do foster parents get paid monthly per child?

The state of California pays foster parents an average of $1000 to $2,609 per month to help with the expenses from taking care of the child. It is one of the highest-paying states in the nation in this regard. This figure is for each child you take into your home. The highest rates correspond to children with additional needs, because they will require more attention, time, and tending to than other children. Know that you can’t just pocket the payments and take the child to the hospital or to visit other professionals that help with taking care of them. You need to be patient with children, shower them with more attention, listen and learn their needs, and basically find ways to care for them that wouldn’t complicate their situation even further. Children may have been severely neglected, suffered physical/sexual/emotional abuse, and may be carrying around complex emotional issues as a result of what they’ve been through. They may also have some condition—depression, anxiety, autism, or physical disablement—that prevents them from acting appropriately for their age or being able to respond normally to certain situations. Whatever their challenge is, you need to be understanding. Remember that you’re dealing with a person’s life. The child entrusted to your care will come to depend on you for so much, and you cannot afford to do wrong by them. It is also important to identify a foster family agency that is committed to providing you with the ongoing support needed. This will go a long way in ensuring that you are successful as a foster parent. You need to constantly examine yourself, be open to learning new skills and training that will allow you to communicate better with your foster child, and be an incredible parent to them. Raising a child is a lot to undertake, but it’s one of the most fulfilling things you can do. Even if you decide to adopt your foster child, you’ll still be entitled to receive a small monthly payment to assist with the child’s upkeep. The amount of money you’ll receive will depend on the child’s age and personal needs. The amount you receive in reimbursement depends on the county you reside in or the foster family. In California, the state prescribes a minimum monthly payment, but agencies may provide higher than the minimum. Talk to a foster family agency to learn more about what your foster care reimbursement payments may be. Hopefully, this payment will help make foster care a little less stressful for you and your family.

2. When do the payments start coming in?

Every county or Foster Family Agency has its own timeline for payments, which you’ll be informed of after your application is approved and you’re given the clearance to start fostering. You will need to have some funds available while you wait at least one month before the payments are sent to you. Some counties are better at expediting payment than others, so the time for the first check to arrive may vary. Make sure you have money saved up to cover the childcare costs until the subsidy payments start coming in. In some cases, the county social worker may approve a one-time extra allowance for purchasing clothes for your foster child, but that also takes a while to arrive. So, be prepared to go shopping for clothes for your new ward out of your own pocket. But no need to go overboard with shopping. Like we mentioned earlier, this payment is not meant to cover all of the child’s expenses, only the basic needs. This includes:

Transportation
Food
Clothing
Personal expenses

You won’t have to worry about medical bills because every foster child is covered under the state’s health insurance. Behavioral or mental health needs are also included under their insurance coverage.

3. Take advantage of the cost-saving opportunities available to you

The reimbursement payment you get is not the only financial aid that you can receive as a foster parent. There are a number of other options you can explore as well to help you cut costs such as a tax credit. Although foster children do not qualify for many of the same deductions and credits as biological or adopted children, they’re still eligible for a couple of tax breaks. For starters, the reimbursements you receive from the state are non-taxable so you don’t have to worry about it being cut down any further. Check to see whether your county also provides childcare coverage so you can work while being a foster parent without having to carry the entire cost of childcare alone. This can help you save money that would have been spent on babysitting and other related expenses. There are programs that provide free clothing and gifts for foster children. Signing up for them is another great way to cut down on the costs of foster parenting. Additionally, if your foster child is an infant, toddler, or under the age of 5, they are probably eligible for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) special supplemental nutrition program, which is aimed at providing nutritious foods to supplement diets for women and children at nutritional risk. Don’t be ashamed about needing a little extra help to care for the foster child in your care. You’re doing the best that you can to see that they have a good life and that’s all that matters.

Conclusion

When you take into account the responsibilities that come with being a foster parent, the stipend, it becomes evident that the money received should not be the primary reason for deciding to be a foster parent. Just remember that financial gain is not an incentive to foster. You shouldn’t consider the reimbursement you receive as payment for doing your job because you’re not being paid for providing a service. The payment is to help cover the costs of caring for the child in your home. Your true reward is in being able to help a vulnerable child feel safe, supported, and loved. If after looking at the numbers above and understanding what exactly you’ll be signing up for and you’re still interested in becoming a foster parent in California, all you need to do is contact a reputable foster family agency and get started on your application.

How Much Money Do You Get For Being a Foster Parent – Knotts Family Agency

If you are considering becoming a foster parent (also known as Resource Parent) or host-guardian, at some point you’re going to wonder how much foster parents get paid in California. That’s a perfectly fair question.

In theory, a resource or foster family can earn as much more than $9,000 per month, prorated per night. But it’s all based on variables like the number of kids you’re fostering, their ages and any special needs they may have. So what’s the actual payment range?

In the state of California, foster parents currently (2020) may receive between $1000 to $2609 each month per child, depending on the Level of Care. You may have up to 6 children in one home, depending on their needs; but it is more reasonable to have less than 6. A foster family agency may opt to give foster parents more than the minimum, so you should check with your agency.

How Foster Parent Payments Work:

Technically, foster parents get reimbursed, not paid. But for the sake of simplicity, lets call it a payment that comes completely tax free.

As a foster parent or host-guardian you take on the responsibility of ensuring the kids are safe, well fed and clothed. You’ll need to provide everything a child needs to grow healthy in a safe environment. So, regardless of whether you are fostering on a temporary or a long-term basis, there are legitimate costs involved in supporting the child or children you’re helping.

That’s what makes the money reimbursement programs such an important part of foster care programs.

Here are some of the factors that impact the payment scale:

The medical and emotional needs of the child
The state you live in (but we’re only focusing on California in this article)
Any bonuses offered by your chosen foster care agency

In general, the pay scale increases depending on the specific health or emotional needs of the children. For example, foster parents in Intensive Service Foster Care (ISFC), and care for a child with significant mental or health needs, may receive up to $2,609 per month.

Figuring Out How Much YOU Will Get Paid

It should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyways: don’t become a foster parent just for the money. Fostering children should be about providing a safe, nurturing for the kids while emotionally enhancing your own life as well.

That being said, we know the money matters. That’s the way the world works and you need money to create the best possible environment for the kids.

So the question is, how much will YOU get paid?

It’s nice to know the general numbers. But your situation is different from everyone else’s. Here are some things to consider:

You have a certain amount of space in your home.
You may be interested in foster kids within a certain age group.
You may or may not be able to help children who have special medical or emotional needs. You may be interested in children with serious health needs (e.g. medically-fragile children).
If you’re working with Knotts Family Agency, we pay a monthly compensation bonus that is over and beyond the minimum rate established by the state. But you may be working with an agency that doesn’t. Contact us to learn more about our benefits.
You may want to be a host-guardian (part-time foster parenting) instead of being a full-time foster parent

Because your situation is unique, you’re going to need help navigating the process and figuring out the best possible outcome for yourself and your family.

That’s where we come in. Knotts Family Agency has offered friendly, no-rush, no-obligation coaching to foster parents for nearly two decades. Although money is not the only factor, when selecting an agency, consider one that is willing to provide higher than the minimum.

For example, although the state of California currently has a rate of approximately $2,600 per month for children in LOC 5 (also known as Intensive Service Foster Care), Knotts Family Agency adds up to $400, bringing the total to $3000, for children in certain IFSC sub-categories.

Give us a call today at 909-301-0504 or click here to Contact Us.

We’d be happy to answer any questions you have – and walk you step by step through the process of becoming a foster parent.

Single father - about raising a child with Down syndrome and the difficulties of fatherhood

Evgeny Anisimov is a power engineer from Volgograd. He knew nothing about Down syndrome until his son was born in 2018. Eugene brings up three-year-old Misha alone: after the news about the diagnosis of the child, he and his wife divorced. We recorded Evgeny's monologue about what it's like to be a dad on maternity leave and the main significant adult for a special child.

"Knocking on Heaven"

In the summer of 2013, I went to a bench, two girls were sitting there. I asked what their favorite films were. One of them called "Knockin' on Heaven". I also really like this movie. In 2015, this girl became my wife.

We are both from Volgograd, from poor families, got higher education, I am an engineer. We lived together, made repairs, overcame financial difficulties. I understood that I wanted to go further in life with this person. I retrained in the electric power industry and worked in a chain of stores in the city.

In 2017 we moved to Moscow. There, in just a week and a half, I found a job as an electrician, and my wife also found an acceptable option quite quickly. A colleague said to me: “Do you have children? Not? You will be rich but poor. Everything will be fine financially, but if you do not decide to have children, then then you will not decide on it at all. I thought that money is never enough, and we decided not to postpone the birth of a child.

“Zhen, this is bad”

One day in December, my wife said that she had bought a pregnancy test and… I thought that I should look for a part-time job. We sold the car, we had savings. The wife was very happy. The pregnancy went well. I still remember buying her vitamins.

We did screenings, one of them showed that the child had a nuchal thickness of 2.9. I didn't know what it was. It's the same if I give out the information: "This is a cross-flow heat exchanger." All other parameters were normal.

We decided that the birth will be partnered. Relatives arrived from Volgograd. I was worried, but I was sure that everything would go well. At the climax, I was asked to go behind the screen. The squeak of a baby. A fighter appeared - Mishka. So pink. I cut the umbilical cord myself. In the movies it was different.

The midwife began to ask some strange questions: the blood type of my parents, do I have Eastern roots. “I have bad news for you, your son is suspected of having Down syndrome,” she summed up. I was sure it was a mistake.

It happens to some people, but it can't happen to me just because of my existence

I took the baby in my arms. The wife said: "Zhen, this is bad." To support her, I said: "It's okay, we'll bring it up."

We didn't say anything to our parents, we waited for confirmation of the diagnosis. Due to postpartum pneumonia, Mishka was transferred to a hospital, and his wife was discharged home. I was called in for a conversation by her parents. “Of course, you are a good husband, your wife loves you,” they said. "But you don't understand what it is." You play, your daughter gets used to her son, and your whole life goes downhill.” But by that time, I had already read a lot of different information on the Internet and knew that I should take my son anyway.

“These are generally invalids, rabid”

For me, the first associations with Down syndrome are children with strange eyes from an anatomy textbook. At that time I didn’t think in terms of “syndrome”, “feature”, I said, like many others, “downs”. There was no information. I started googling.

The first encounter with the Internet gave rise to mixed feelings. On the one hand, there were optimistic examples - for example, the children of Evelina Bledans, Irina Khakamada. There are examples when people with Down syndrome graduated from the university. On the other hand, someone wrote: “We gave birth, sent the child to an orphanage; Apparently, he died there" or "These are generally invalids, rabid. Last year I was relaxing on the beach, such a child was running around there, shaking his genitals. Among the acquaintances there was also a small percentage of those who advised to abandon the child and "not to spoil your life."

I tried to focus only on the positives. I decided that the child will develop as it will develop. Although at first I was afraid that my son would have mental retardation and he would only perform some of the simplest functions.

One day I came to Downside Up. I was met by a guy with Down syndrome, extended his hand, introduced himself. I talked with the parents of such children and realized that the scenario could be optimistic. They told their stories - it helped to cope with fears.

When I meet girls, some of them refuse to see me when they find out about their son's diagnosis. They usually don't give the real reason. It’s unpleasant for me, but I understand that I cannot impose a choice that the girl may not want to make. Mishka and I have our own history. Everyone takes what they want from it.

"Son, you are needed"

The warmth that can be given in families cannot be given in an orphanage with the best staff. I came to Mishka at the hospital. In total, he spent about three weeks there. The nurse explained to me: the first pass - the employees feed the children, the second - remove the diapers. They can't physically do it anymore. And a child can lie in its feces for three hours. I also drew an orphanage.

What did Mishka do to me to make me wish him such a life? When I think about it, tears well up in my eyes. I went for runs and cried. My companion at that time was the song "DDT" "New Life". I thought that, seeing my determination, my wife would also be imbued with this. 90% of my environment supported my decision to leave my son in the family.

When his diagnosis was confirmed, my wife and I talked and decided that we were getting a divorce. She returned to Volgograd.

I was left alone in a rented apartment, tomorrow I have to work, my son is in the hospital

He came to him every evening after work, changed his undershirts, diapers, brought everything he needed. I knew that it was going to the "common fund" - like in the army, where I once served. But I didn’t feel sorry, because my son was in the hospital. And, unlike some children, he was not an orphan, he had someone to visit.

I was advised to talk to him: "Son, you are needed." I did this, although from an engineering point of view it was not clear to me. For the second or third time, I already swaddled him.

I always thought that the care of the child and household life would fall on the spouse. My task is to bring money and take the child for a ride in the stroller in the evenings. Here I was faced with a choice: find a better paid job in Moscow and hire a nanny, or take maternity leave and move back to Volgograd. I chose the second one.

My mother helped to take care of Mishka. When I just told her about my son's diagnosis, she was in shock, she went into hysterics. But when she came to pick up the child from the hospital, she immediately fell in love with him. We both loved him. He is his.

When Mishka was one year and three months old, I came out of maternity leave and got a job - not as a manager, but as a performer. Now I spend time with my son in the evenings and on weekends. The rest of the time, his grandmother sits with him. I develop professionally, earn money to provide my son with a future, and take him to the pool, to developmental classes, we walk, play.

Not a “nanny with a mustache”

I used to think that I would be a ridiculous father - like from a joke where dad holds a child by the leg and dips him in water. But when I realized that my son would not have a mother, I took on the full role of a significant adult.

I started reading Janusz Korczak's How to Love a Child and books by Ludmila Petranovskaya. Each skill - to feed, dress, bathe a child - I studied from scratch. This process was supervised by my mother: whether or not to iron the linen, whether to sterilize the bottles. I took a commercial mothers course, the women from the parent chat helped me a lot.

When Mishka roared, I was afraid. For me, it was a cry for help. But I began to understand why he was crying: illness, discomfort due to a full diaper, hunger.

I can't say that I'm a "moustachioed nanny", as in Soviet films, "yap". I lead an ordinary life, I work in energy, but I have mastered all the skills for caring for a child.

To monitor my son's development, I periodically fill out a questionnaire about six areas of the child's life. Now Mishka is falling into two areas: self-service and social skills.

Once a week I take my son to the pool. This is a general physical activity, massage of all muscle groups. We also go to the Lev Vygotsky Center for classes on the development of gross motor skills: go down the hill, walk along the plank. The bear is already climbing the Swedish wall - this is a new skill. The child also regularly works with a speech therapist.

If I didn't have work responsibilities, I would devote more time to the education of Mishka. I think the more classes the better. The main thing is not to overdo it so that the child has a childhood.

I myself have random memories from childhood: how I fell off a bicycle and skinned my knees, how my parents and I played badminton, loto. These warm moments that sometimes come to mind are very important.

I like to fool around with Mishka. For example, I move away from him, bend down and look at him between my legs, he runs towards me. I try to dilute my routine trips to classes with such a positive atmosphere.

“I'm going forward”

When my wife and I arrived in Moscow in 2017, I opened an account on a social network. We posted two photos: how we participate in a master class in Zaryadye and how we eat donuts on Nikolskaya. When Mishka was born, I deleted the photos with my ex-wife and began to keep a public photo album with my son: the first walk in Volgograd, classes, holidays. For me it was an outlet. I wanted to show that I am not isolated, I am not shy about my son, I do not pay attention to the opinions of others.

Gradually the number of subscribers grew. People from all over Russia started writing to me, sending words of support, things for my son. Sometimes they ask you to advertise. But I tell the stories of different families for free.

Sometimes they send messages like: “Six months ago I was pregnant and I was told that my child has a suspected Down syndrome. When I watch your stories, I don't even have thoughts to abandon the child. I'm going ahead." Imagine how supportive I am when I receive such messages!

I would like my son to grow up to be a good person. Like this? "Do not do to your neighbor what you would not want them to do to you."

10 reasons why you are afraid to have children

If you don't want to have children just because of an irrational reluctance, this is normal. Becoming a parent or not is a personal matter for each person. Plus, you have plenty of time to be a father, so you can take your time and live for yourself. A completely different situation is when you often think that you are ready for the birth of a child, but you hesitate because of fears that are quite understandable for most people. We have collected some of the most common reasons why you are afraid of replenishment in the family.

You are worried that you will not be able to provide for a child

One of the most common fears that prevents you from becoming a parent is lack of money. Even if at the moment you earn well, have the opportunity to save some part of the income, this does not guarantee that it will be easy for your family to provide the child with everything necessary in the future. Life is too unpredictable, and you cannot be sure that your salary will not change, prices will remain the same and you will not have to spend much more, allowing yourself only the bare necessities.

Raising a child is indeed very expensive. Moreover, as he grows up, spending does not decrease, but, on the contrary, only becomes more. Of course, if you are struggling to provide for yourself, the thought of having a baby should still be postponed until later. And if everything is fine with your money, then start building savings that will help you be ready for replenishment in the family.

You think you can't cope with upbringing

Raising a child is a complex and painstaking process. You can read special literature as much as you want, watch educational videos, listen to real stories from people who have already raised their children, and not feel prepared. This is completely normal, because you do not have the opportunity to put all the knowledge you have gained into practice until you have your own child.

New experiences, new roles and new responsibilities will of course scare you. But that doesn't mean you'll be a bad parent. The main thing is your willingness to learn, to change, to take responsibility.

You are afraid that you have chosen the wrong person

You want to have a child with the person with whom you feel good, comfortable, interesting. Because otherwise the family will not work. When you are sure that your girlfriend is exactly the person with whom you see a happy future, having a child is not so scary. You understand that you will find the strength in yourself to survive all the difficulties that you will encounter along the way. If you are tormented by doubts about the correctness of your choice - try to find out what caused them. You need to carefully weigh the pros and cons before making a decision about having a baby.

You are worried that your relationship with a girl will deteriorate

The birth and upbringing of a child is too difficult a process that not all couples can endure, even if initially both partners are sure that they are ready for replenishment in the family. With the advent of a child, especially in his first years of life, parents have to put their needs and desires into the background. Getting used to new rules, constant restriction of freedom, heavy duties that fall on the shoulders of both spouses - all this is frightening.

But if you are not going to leave each other in difficult moments and decide to work together, then your relationship with the birth of a child will become
only stronger. You will open up to each other in a new way, get closer even more, learn to trust.

You are afraid to realize that you have rushed to the decision to have a child

Having a child will change your life, so it is important not to rush into the decision to become a parent. If you have a good job, a reliable girlfriend you love, and most importantly, the desire to become a father, it's not a rush. Hurry - when you can barely make ends meet, constantly arguing with your loved one and thinking about having a baby from time to time, quickly changing your mind.

You are worried about the future of your child

It is scary to have a child when everything around you is changing rapidly, the economic and political situation leaves much to be desired, and you are not sure about the future. On the one hand, I want the child to be born in a calm time, not in a hurry to grow up, to grow up surrounded by love and care. On the other hand, your parents and grandparents also had children during difficult times. And most of them managed to raise a child well and even provide him with a good start into adulthood. You can never be sure about the future - yours, your country and the whole world in general. But this does not mean that you need to put an end to your plans, desires, needs.

You think that after the birth of a child your life will become boring

With the birth of a child, the number of your obligations increases significantly. There is no question of any frequent meetings with friends, overnight stays, parties, sudden plans and travel, at least in the first few years. You may think that your life will become dull and you will die of boredom, but this is too pessimistic a view of the new experience.

If you have chosen the right person, you will not feel bad next to your family. Yes, at first it will be difficult for you, because you will have to change your usual way of life. But over time, changes are inevitable: you grow up, you have new priorities, you become a different person.

You are afraid of not having time to prepare for the birth of a child.

You will never feel 100% prepared for the birth of a child. This is too large an event in your life that will change you, your relationships, habits and views. You, like any other person, have the right to be imperfect - forget about something, not have time to finish the children's room, be afraid to pick up a child, not know how to behave with a baby. Moreover, no matter how much you prepare, the feeling of fear due to novelty and lack of experience will not let you relax. So stop giving anxiety so much time and effort.

12 things you should know before you decide to become a father

Are you afraid of repeating the mistakes of your parents

Unfortunately, not all people cope well with their parenting responsibilities. Some make mistakes by accident, ignorance, or stress. Your parents may be wonderful people who truly loved you, but that doesn't mean your upbringing was perfect. They behaved as best they could, and did the maximum of what was possible at that moment.

Do not be afraid to repeat the mistakes of your parents. If you want to be better, you need to take into account their experience and choose a different strategy. It will be easier for you, because you have in your memory an example of how not to act.

You are worried that the child will get sick and die

You will feel a great responsibility for the life and health of your child, even if he has not yet been born. Naturally, there are many stories about how children are born with various diseases, physical abnormalities, die during childbirth. The process of growing up is no less dangerous: if you leave the child unattended for a while, ignore the alarming symptoms, and do not bring him to the doctor on time, irreparable things can happen.

The key word is maybe, everything is really possible in life. And you can't keep everything under your control all the time. Even if you protect your child from any danger, this does not mean that he will grow up healthy and live long.