Waiting For A Family: A Special Report On Foster Care

To become a foster kid, it all starts with a court-order: a social worker or judge determines it is not in your best interest to remain with your biological parents, and you are removed from their home. But you’re only a kid — you still need a place to live and someone to care for you. That’s how you enter the foster care system, a state-run program that’s supposed to provide for you until you can move to a more permanent, safe and caring home.

But for some kids, their stay in the system can last for years. Youth Radio takes you deep into the world of kids who grow up in foster care. These are their stories.