IStock Photo 9047195 © Miroslav Georgijevic

Approximately 800,000 children are served by the United States foster care system each year. They represent every age, race, and culture—and yet, according to a national online Harris poll, 83% of adults know little or nothing about these children’s experiences.

The odds a person younger than 21 is in foster care are 1 in 158.5. Children in the system are likely to be young, with roughly 13% having been placed in care before reaching their first birthday. Indeed, 1 in 1.96 kids (51%) living in foster care is younger than 11.

Nearly half of all youth in foster care are placed in homes with non-relatives. Others may find themselves living in group homes or institutions, with only 5% placed in pre-adoptive homes. Although the system is designed to provide temporary shelter and care, many youth remain in placements for an extended period of time; 1 in 1.62 (62%) people in foster care has been there for 12 or more months, and 1 in 7.51 has been there for 3-4 years.

Living without a permanent home can take a toll on children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, young people in foster care show disproportionate rates of serious emotional and behavioral problems, chronic health concerns, developmental delays, and poor academic achievement—all of which are exacerbated by the insufficient funding, lack of care coordination, and other factors that often combine to prevent youth in the system from easily accessing the medical care they need.

Unfortunately, the outlook for young people leaving the foster care system is no less concerning. The odds that a person under the age of 21 who leaves foster care will do so by reuniting with a parent or primary caretaker are just 1 in 1.78 (56%). Children waiting to be adopted also face tough odds: while over 120,000 youth await adoptive families each year, only 1 in 5.52 of all children exiting the foster care system are adopted.

For the remaining youth leaving the system—particularly those who have “aged out,” or become too old for foster care—many find themselves suddenly, and startlingly, on their own. The odds that a person younger than 21 will exit foster care by being emancipated are 1 in 13.85, while the odds that he or she will leave the system by running away are 1 in 57.63.

For young people who leave or age out of foster care, life outside of the system can be a daunting prospect. Many kids exiting foster care lack adequate education, marketable skills, and financial resources, putting them at risk for poverty, illness, incarceration, and even homelessness. Fortunately, programs exist, both through the government and through non-profit organizations around the country, to help ease the transition from foster care to independent living.