Part 3 of a 3-part series on A Home for Every Child

Authored by Katie Gordon, Senior Consultant at PCG

All 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have now joined A Home for Every Child (AH4EC), the Administration for Children and Families’ initiative to help every state achieve a foster home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1. Rather than a single recruitment push, AH4EC is a data-driven framework built on a simple but demanding equation: growing the pool of available resource family homes while safely reducing the number of youth who need placement. States that treat this as a one-sided fix often see gains in one area erased by losses in another, making balanced, coordinated strategy essential. As states look to achieve these goals, here are two examples of what states are doing:

Indiana Addresses Child Care Barriers to Expand Foster Home Capacity

As states work to achieve the goals of the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) A Home for Every Child initiative, Indiana is pursuing a practical strategy to increase foster home availability: expanding access to affordable child care. In 2026, Governor Mike Braun proposed a $200 million investment to expand Indiana’s Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program and reduce lengthy waitlists for working families. Public reporting noted that a portion of child care vouchers would be reserved specifically for licensed foster families, recognizing child care as a critical support needed to foster successfully.

Indiana’s approach responds to a challenge frequently cited by foster parents. Many working families are willing to foster but are unable to absorb the significant cost of child care, particularly when accepting placements involving infants and young children. In some cases, foster parents have reported turning down placements or reconsidering their foster care licenses because they could not access child care assistance. By setting aside vouchers for foster families, Indiana is helping remove a financial barrier that can limit placement capacity.

This strategy aligns closely with the goals of A Home for Every Child, which emphasizes increasing the availability of safe, family-based placements while reducing obstacles that discourage foster family recruitment and retention. Rather than focusing solely on recruitment campaigns, Indiana is investing in the supports families need to sustain their commitment to fostering. Access to reliable child care can make fostering feasible for working households that otherwise could not participate.

Indiana’s initiative highlights an important lesson for child welfare agencies nationwide: expanding foster home capacity often requires addressing the everyday realities families face. By pairing foster care policy with broader family-support investments, states can strengthen recruitment and retention efforts while creating more opportunities for children to experience stable, family-based care.

Iowa Modernizes Foster Parent Training to Reduce Barriers to Licensure

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its foster care system, Iowa enacted legislation in 2026 that modernizes how prospective foster parents are trained and licensed. Senate File 2096, signed by Governor Kim Reynolds, eliminates the state’s longstanding blanket requirement that all prospective foster parents complete 30 hours of pre-service training. Instead, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will develop individualized training plans that account for each applicant’s professional background, prior training, and lived experience.

The change is intended to reduce unnecessary barriers that can discourage qualified individuals from becoming foster parents. Under the new law, applicants with relevant experience, such as nurses, social workers, educators, or others with transferable skills, may be able to receive credit for existing competencies rather than repeating training they have already completed. Iowa HHS will also have flexibility to tailor training based on the specific needs of the children expected to be served, helping prospective caregivers gain the most relevant knowledge and skills.

Importantly, the legislation does not reduce safety standards. Background checks, home studies, and other licensing requirements remain in place, and core training topics such as trauma, child development, behavior management, attachment, grief and loss, and supporting children’s connections to their families of origin will continue to be included.

Iowa’s approach aligns with the goals of A Home for Every Child by streamlining the pathway to becoming a foster parent while maintaining safeguards for children. State leaders and foster care stakeholders hope that reducing redundant training requirements will shorten the licensing process, encourage more qualified individuals to become foster parents, and help address the state’s ongoing shortage of foster homes. By recognizing the strengths and experiences that prospective caregivers already bring to the role, Iowa is pursuing a more flexible and family-centered approach to foster parent recruitment and retention.

Every state is navigating its own version of the same challenge: too few foster homes for too many children who need them. Public Consulting Group’s (PCG) Child Welfare team brings national experience and deep research capabilities to help agencies pinpoint what’s actually holding back recruitment and retention in their state and build a practical, family-centered plan to fix it.

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