On Deck Foundation

The inherent idea behind the On Deck Foundation is to promote healthier lifestyles and success for underprivileged, “at-risk,” and “high-risk” children and communities. Within some of these communities, there are children experiencing all of the above. There is, and always will be, a special interest placed on wards of the state and foster-care. This idea is played out through awareness and outreach programs established, facilitated, and supported by the On Deck Foundation.

Foster Care Statistics

· 80% of the US prison inmate population was in the foster care system (US Dept. of Justice, 2005)

· 70% of California's inmates have been in the foster care system (Sacramento Bee article by John Burton [chairman of the CA Democratic Party and chairs the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes)

· Children are 11 times more likely to be abused in State care that they are in their own homes. (National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect [NCCAN])

· 90% increase of children and youth in the US foster care system since 1987. (Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support *CASEY FOUNDATION*)

· 3 out of 10 of the nations homeless are former foster children. (Casey Foundation*)

· Children in foster care are 3 to 6 times more likely to have emotional, behavioral, and developmental problems including:

· Conduct disorders

· Depression

· Difficulties in school

· Impaired social relationships

(Casey Foundation*)

· Approximately 30% of foster children have marked or severe emotional problems. (Casey Foundation*)

· Children and youth in foster care tend to have limited education and job skills and perform poorly in school compared to children NOT in care. (Casey Foundation*)

· Children in foster care lag behind their education by at LEAST one year and have lower educational attainment than the general population. (Casey Foundation*)

· Children in foster care are 5.25 times more like to die as a result of abuse than children in the general population. (CPS Watch Inc.)

· 2.1 % of ALL CHILD FATALITIES took place in foster care.

**Since "state care is supposed to be a 'safe-haven', the number of fatalities should have been less than the child fatalities of the general population (less than 0.4%). However, child fatalities that occurred while in foster care were 5.25 times greater than that amount." (CPS Watch Inc.)

See full article at TEAR's for Family Continuity

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