Good news! In this first exploration of foster programs in the United States, foster programs appear to be more common than we would have expected. There's a lot of fostering that happens in the summer when shelters are full, but based on this survey there are relatively few shelters where fostering is a part of organizational culture. So, while it's common for organizations to have foster programs, there is clearly much room for improvement and we still have a lot of work to do!
Most foster programs are relatively small with a small number of pets in foster care and a small number of active volunteers. The majority of organizations don't employ policies and practices that lead to strong programs that promote welfare, such as fostering healthy pets, emergency fostering, custody fostering and options for varying durations of fostering for foster caregivers.
On the positive side, we discovered correlation between practices of a foster-centric shelter and having more foster caregivers. Organizations that utilize techniques that make it easy for people to start fostering have more foster caregivers. Organizations that offer supplies and support have more foster caregivers. Organizations that recognize and appreciate their volunteers have more foster caregivers.
Lastly, the vast majority of organizations in the United States who responded to this survey love the foster-centric model of animal care, although there is considerably less interest in implementing the model. This might be because the concept seems impossible, but could also be because they prefer how they're doing things now. Regardless of the reason, there's lots of encouraging news and lots of work ahead for us if we hope to create a foster-centric nation.