According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 140,000 children lost a caregiver or parent due to pandemic-related causes.
So where do those children go? Well, some of them could end up in the foster care system. But that system is already strained and facing new challenges because of COVID-19.
Federal assistance for children aging out of foster care expired on Sept. 30. And an Associated Press analysis found that family reunifications and adoptions dropped dramatically.
What has the pandemic meant for the state of foster care?
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