Dear Mr./Mrs. President,

There are many broken and damaged systems in the U.S. that American citizens and you pay attention to. Unfortunately, the people that need our help the most have been neglected all of their lives. They are denied attention from their parents, and from you. It seems as if our country invests more time money and effort on helping others, rather than helping our own. Many people have argued that the foster care system is productive and successful, it is the children who have corrupted it. This statement is grossly overused and completely unjustified.

There are a multitude of studies that outline the complete and utter failure of the American foster care system. First, the system defeats its own purpose. Instead of providing the less fortunate with a childhood, it robs them of it. Various studies prove that foster care children are probable to facing homelessness, sex trafficking, physical harm, verbal abuse, and early pregnancies. Second, foster care children are 5 times more likely to commit suicide than the average child. The average stay at one location is 28.6 months. Meaning, the average child has moved within the system at least 8 times. Stability is key. WIthout having a stable environment children cannot be expected to grow, change, develop, or succeed. Third and most importantly, foster care children are not provided the educational opportunities that they deserve and need. 84% of these children yearn to attend college, yet 50% of them are unable to finish high school by the age of 18. If these statistics and realities cannot convince you to reform foster care in America, then the future of our country is of no value to you.

There are several steps that can be taken to provide reform. First, we must provide support early. Social workers and counselors must be better trained and selectively chosen. They must devote their time to helping the children discover their passions and interests. Second, we must help children deal with their suffering and grief, this can only be done by closely and periodically monitoring the conditions that they are living in. Financial aid must be provided in order to educate and nourish them. Third, we must spread awareness. If more people were concerned with these issues, many of these problems could have already been solved. Most importantly, we need to care. We need to care about the future of our country. We must care for the well being of our children. We must take action now.