On any given day. In the United States there are approximately 355,000 children in foster care. Under the current system, 55% of them will drop out of school. 65% of them will end up homeless. 75% of them will end up incarcerated. The foster care system is in crisis and our guest today, Dr. John DeGarmo, has devoted his life to helping make it work better for all involved. John is a father to 6 children, both biological and adoptive, and he and his wife, Dr. Kelly DeGarmo, have been foster parents to over 60 children. He’s a leading international foster care expert, the director of the Foster Care Institute, a consultant to foster care agencies and an expert witness to legal agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

He has appeared on several television programs to talk about foster care, including CNN, Good Morning America, ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS and PBS. John and his wife are the recipients of the “Good Morning America Ultimate Hero Award” and the “Up with People Everyday Hero Award”. John has his Doctorate in education from Walden University, and has authored several books, including his latest, The Little Book of Foster Care Wisdom: 365 days of Inspiration for Foster Care Families. John is here today to talk about our foster care system, how we can make it better, and the power of foster care to positively impact a vulnerable child’s future.