San Diego Foster Family Network Gives Children Under 5 Loving Homes Amid Surge in Foster Care System

(L-R) Angels Executive Director Jeff Weimann and resource parents Rae’ah and Max Maningas receive recognition from Supervisor Joel Anderson in San Diego. (Courtesy of San Diego Supervisor Joel Anderson’s office).

In recent years, San Diego County’s foster care system has exploded with new cases. Over a thousand children enter the system annually. From 2020 to 2021, 60 percent of those children were 5 years old or younger.

Organizations like Angels Foster Family Network have been working to connect young foster children to “resource families,” also known as “foster families.” Unlike the traditional foster system, Angels Foster Family Network ensures that each family only cares for one child, or one sibling set at a time, and primarily works with children under 5 years old.