In 2024, there were more foster care kids who were referred to a home than there were licensed foster families in Iowa, according to Four Oaks, the state’s contractor for licensing foster and adoptive parents.
The nonprofit said were 2,427 referrals for children needing a foster home and 1,734 licensed foster families in 2024.
Kai McGee, the director of foster care and adoption at the nonprofit, said the gap is actually worse since not every home is always readily available to take a child in. McGee said it depends on the foster families' preferences and room in the home.
“Some families are like, ‘We're really comfortable parenting very young children, but we have no interest in caring for a teenager,’” McGee said.
Additionally, match availability is smaller when factoring in the possible health needs of a child and sibling groups.
Foster homes aren’t the first placement referral when the state decides to remove a child from a home. The first option is attempting to place a child with family — called kinship. Then, the process moves to fictive kinship, such as a friend of the family. If those options aren’t available for the child, then foster homes are the next step.
After that, the next possibility is emergency shelters, according to McGee.
"Typically, the extreme effort is to avoid any children under the age of 12 spend time in the shelters. Sometimes we look for a foster family who we know will care for that child, just very short term,” McGee said.
For 2025, the number of emergency shelter placements is already halfway to reaching 2024's total, according to the latest state data. Last year, there were 337 placements in emergency shelters. In 2025, through Feb. 3, there have been 169 placement cases. The majority of foster youth placed into shelters are over the age of 12.
Four Oaks President and CEO Mary Beth O’Neill said in a statement that foster care reimbursement rates need to go up in order to recruit more parents. The typical rate is about $600 per month, per child, depending on the child’s age and needs. According to the nonprofit, last year was the first time since 2013 the rate was raised.
A bill in the Iowa Legislature would require the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to review rates every three years. The proposal would also give the authority to the agency to formulate the rates. Currently, reimbursement rates are required to be based on 65% of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's estimate of the cost to raise a child.
McGee, who used to be a foster parent, said the majority of foster parents are not motivated by money. She said because it can be challenging to foster, sometimes low-reimbursement rates can be the reason people stop fostering.
“They are volunteering in the most significant way possible, by having somebody come live in their home and become a member of their family. They don’t make money for doing it, and indeed, they don’t even break even,” McGee said.
The number of foster parents has been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to McGee.
“A lot of families stopped being foster parents at that point, and haven't reengaged since then,” she said.
Four Oaks recruits prospective foster parents with small presentations in faith communities, organizations and community centers.
"Our best and most successful recruitment efforts are when foster families tapped their friends and family to become foster parents,” McGee said.
