Arizona foster families will soon see a major increase in financial support, part of a sweeping effort by Governor Katie Hobbs to strengthen the state’s child-welfare system and ensure more children grow up in stable, family-based settings.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety is implementing a 50% increase to the daily reimbursement rate for licensed foster families caring for children ages 6 and older — the largest jump since DCS was established more than a decade ago. Depending on a child’s level of need, families will now receive between roughly $1,000 and $1,700 a month per child.
Hobbs said the expanded support is essential to rebuilding Arizona’s foster-care network, which has struggled to recruit and retain families even as the number of children in out-of-home care has declined. From 2017 to 2025, the state saw a 60% drop in licensed foster homes and a 62% reduction in available beds, leaving older children especially vulnerable to placement in group facilities. DCS estimates it needs more than 1,000 additional foster homes in the next year to meet demand.
“When we invest in foster families, we invest in a child’s future,” Hobbs said, encouraging more Arizonans to consider becoming foster parents. The state’s reliance on group homes — significantly more costly and less stable than family placements — has long been a pressure point in the system.
Advocates and service providers praised the move as a long-awaited course correction. DCS Director Kathryn Ptak called foster and kinship caregivers “the backbone” of Arizona’s child-welfare system, emphasizing that higher rates will help families better meet children’s needs and reduce the state’s dependence on congregate care. Leaders from organizations including the AZ Council of Human Service Providers, az127, Southwest Human Development and Arizona’s Children Association echoed that sentiment, describing the increase as a meaningful step toward improving outcomes for older youth.
Foster families currently receive a daily stipend that varies by a child’s age and needs, along with access to special allowances for items such as education expenses, graduation fees and emergency clothing. Those rates have rarely been adjusted — and were even cut in 2009 — leaving caregivers to absorb rising costs over the years.
As the holiday season approaches, Hobbs urged Arizonans who may be considering fostering or adoption to learn more about the process, areas of highest need and how to choose an agency. Information is available through the state’s foster-care resources page.
