National Foster Care Month – May. 1, 2027

Expected National Foster Care Month Deals

During National Foster Care Month, the focus shifts from commercial deals to profound appreciation and support for the foster care community. Organizations like the Children’s Bureau, Foster Care Alumni of America, and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption spearhead national campaigns, encouraging donations, volunteer sign-ups, and advocacy. Many corporations, such as Target and Walmart, often partner with local and national charities, offering in-store donation drives or matching employee contributions to foster care initiatives. Look for special recognition events for foster parents, often sponsored by local businesses or community groups. Additionally, brands like Build-A-Bear Workshop frequently run promotions where a portion of sales supports children’s charities, including those focused on foster youth. We encourage direct engagement with reputable foster care organizations to learn about specific ways to contribute throughout May.

History of National Foster Care Month

Around 1830, a large population of homeless children emerged in big cities in the Northeast, including New York City. Some children were orphaned because of their parents dying of epidemics like typhoid and the flu, others were neglected due to poverty. At the time, three charitable institutions — The Children’s Aid Society, Children’s Village, and the New York Foundling Hospital, developed a program that allocated these homeless children into new homes.

The United States Children’s Bureau is a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau’s operations involve improving child abuse prevention, foster care, and adoption. It was founded in 1912 when President William Howard Taft turned the bill into law that would fund the government organization. 

During the height of its influence, the Bureau was directed, managed, and staffed almost entirely by women — a rarity for any federal agency in the early 20th century. It was most influential in bringing the methods of reform-oriented social research and the ideas of maternalist reformers to bear on federal government policy. The signing of this law culminated in a grass-roots process that was started in 1903 by two early social reformers, Lillian Wald and Florence Kelly. The stated purpose of the new Bureau was to investigate and report “upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child life among all classes of our people.” Along the way, their efforts picked up support from President Theodore Roosevelt, among other prominent supporters, before finally becoming a law nine years after they launched the initiative. The law also called for the Bureau to be headed by a chief, who would be a presidential appointee, subject to Senate confirmation. The first chief of the Children’s Bureau was Julia Lathrop — she was the first woman ever to head a government agency in the United States. 

How Businesses Can Celebrate National Foster Care Month