BLOOMINGTON - Foster child Mike, not quite a year old, sucked on a pacifier while foster dad Fred Thomas rocked the toddler in his arms. Moments later, Mike, one of about 16,000 foster kids in Illinois and one of about 230 in McLean County, was in foster mother Jill Thomas' lap getting spoon fed baby food. | Former foster child becomes foster parent herself

The Thomases have had as many as 25 foster children over the past dozen years and officials say more like them are needed.

Their reason for being foster parents is typical.

"We felt we wanted to give something back to the community," said Fred Thomas, who talked about the family's foster care experiences to call attention to foster care during May's Foster Care Awareness Month.

"There's a shortage of foster parents," said Jill Thomas, with the greatest need found among minority children.

This is echoed by Lisa Pieper, regional vice president of the Children's Foundation in Bloomington, who said there also is a dire shortage of foster parents willing to take older kids and several siblings.

"Sometimes we have to separate siblings, and that's horrible," Pieper said.

Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, agreed separating siblings can result "in a pain and loss that cuts very deep."

There also are area-specific needs, Marlowe said. In the Aurora/Elgin area, for instance, there's a need for more Spanish-speaking foster parents. In Chicago, there's a severe need for more foster parents willing to take teens, he said.

The need for more foster parents comes despite DCFS figures showing the number of foster children has steadily decreased in Illinois since peaking at 51,331 in 1997. The number of foster children has been reduced to 15,884 as of earlier this year, according to Marlowe.

DCFS claims the number of foster children is down because authorities are intervening earlier in troubled homes.

Keeping children with their birth parents makes sense to foster parent Sharon Adams.

"They have a bond with their birth parent. I'm only a substitute mother," said Adams, of Normal.

Adams and her husband, Tim, a retired postal worker, have had about 30 foster children.

Ruby Davis, 24, who now has a child of her own, with another on the way, is one of the 30, having lived with the Adamses for about four years.

Davis, born and raised in Chicago, lived in 16 foster homes before aging out of the system. The large number of foster homes was counterproductive. "You didn't trust anyone and you kept going to different schools," Davis said.

The Thomases' foster child, Rya, won't have to go through this. Earlier this year, she was adopted by the Thomases.

On a recent night, Rya was busy interacting with big brother Shailer, 17.

"Where's my ear," Shailer asked? Rya, 1½, pointed to Shailer's eye but got it right on the second attempt.

Shailer, a junior at Bloomington High School, is one of three birth children of the Thomases.

While the oldest is away at college, the youngest, Zane, 4, attends pre-kindergarten at Mulberry School in Normal.

On this night, most of the family ate supper together.

"We usually eat in shifts," said Jill Thomas, an administrative professional in the geography department at Illinois State University.

Her husband, Fred Thomas, among those at the supper table, works in the systems department at State Farm.

Background checks and licensing

The Thomases, like all foster parents, underwent background checks and licensing. This process, which includes 27 hours of classes, typically takes up to four months, Pieper said.

Once becoming foster parents, there's a monthly check intended to cover the child's food and clothing costs. The amount of the check is based on the child's age and needs.

Pieper said it has been several years since the monthly reimbursement has been increased; there are bills in Springfield to boost the reimbursement.

"We are committed to raising those rates over time but at the same time we must operate in a fiscally responsible way," Marlowe said.

Pay aside, recruiting a foster parent isn't easy. "It's hard to recruit for this. It takes a special kind of parent," said Pieper.

Not everyone who's a good parent is a good foster parent, she said. Essentials for a foster parent include flexibility, open mindedness, patience and the ability to nurture.

While foster care typically ends at 18, it can continue to 21 in the case of special needs children or those still attending school.

Difficulty in getting foster parents in McLean County has prompted several social service agencies that recruit foster parents to combine recruiting efforts.

McLean County Circuit Court Judge Donald Bernardi, a member of this Foster Care Coalition, said he's in awe of the job foster parents do.

More foster parents would make it easier to place children in homes near where they live, Bernardi said, adding that as many as 40 of McLean County's 231 foster children are placed outside the county.

Children are sent as far away as Ottawa, Kankakee and Southern Illinois, he said, adding "that moves them out of their schools and away from friends and neighbors."

As intimidating as being a foster parent may appear, Jill Thomas advised parents to give it a try. "It's not as hard as you think. It can be scary at first but there's a lot of support," she said.

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The basics

• Foster care is the placement of children by the Department of Children and Family Services outside their homes due to abuse, neglect or dependency.

• Foster care is provided from infancy through the teen years.

• Foster homes are licensed and foster parents undergo training and background checks.

• As of late last year, there were 146 McLean County children placed in the home of a relative and 85 in non-relative foster care.

SOURCES: DCFS, McLean County Foster Care Coalition