But Rachel's presence in it, after her recent bereavement, operated as a check on the gaieties of her cousins, the Miss Ablewhites--and she herself requested that her visit might be deferred to a more favourable opportunity.
As of March of last year, there were more than 6,000 Iowa children in foster care and there is a need for more families willing to open their homes. An eastern Iowa group is on an active search for people wanting to be foster parents. Iowa KidsNet is a group of six agencies dedicated to helping foster and adoptive parents. The branch in Scott County has 62 foster families but more than 100 children are looking for a place to stay. The greatest need is for families willing to take teenagers and sibling groups.
A total of 13,291 children spent at least one day in foster care in 2009, continuing a trend of reductions over the past two years. On any given day last year, about 8,500 Oregon children were in foster care, and that number was nearly 9,800 just two years ago. Although the number of children in foster care in Oregon declined, the state continues to place more children in foster care than most other states in the nation. Children and their families are the greatest resource we have as a state.