Menu Close

You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.

Are you perfectly imperfect?

There are thousands of children in foster care who will take you just the way you are.

Nationally, there are currently 108,000 children in the U.S. foster care system awaiting adoption with one-in-five ages 13 or older.  Yet each year, 23,000 youth ‘age out’ of the foster care system without family supports – that’s one youth every 23 minutes.

More than 1,300 youth age out in New York State, the majority of which are in the greater New York City area. And there are thousands more in the aging out pipeline ages 13-20.

Being a good adoptive parent doesn’t require perfection. It requires the very traits that many potential parents already possess: maturity, flexibility, compassion, unconditional commitment and of course, a sense of humor.

You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. There are thousands of older youth in care who will take you just the way you are—imperfections and all.

More Information


About You Gotta Believe:

Founded in 1995, You Gotta Believe is one of a precious few organizations in the U.S and the only organization in the New York City Metro area that limits its practice to finding permanent parents and families for young adults, teens, and pre-teens in the foster care system.

You Gotta Believe envisions a day when every child leaving foster care is connected to an unconditionally committed, loving permanent family – when no child is asked to face adulthood alone. Simply put, we exist to deliver on the promise made to youth in foster care: that they will leave with a family.

We know that it is never too late for family. We also know that the power of the unconditional commitment of a loving family transforms young people’s prospects of living happy, healthy and productive lives.

Read more about YGB here.

back to top

Resources for Non-NYC & Long Island Residents

Are you outside the area we serve?  No problem!  There are children waiting to be adopted in your local areas.  Visit AdoptUSKids to find out more about becoming a parent in your community.

back to top

Other Ways to Get Involved

Not ready to become a parent? There a lots of other ways you can get involved with YGB and our efforts to connect more kids with families.

back to top

About AdoptUSKids & Ad Council Campaign:

Built around the theme “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent,” this annual campaign uses humor to illustrate that youth in foster care don’t need perfection; they need the commitment and love a permanent adoptive family can provide.

The US Children’s Bureau, AdoptUSKids, and the Ad Council work in partnership to create a national multimedia public service advertising campaign each year that raises awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families. Now in its eleventh year, You Gotta Believe has been selected as the localization partner in the greater New York City area for this new series of public service advertisements (PSAs).

back to top

For Members of the Media:

Members of the media please contact Amanda Lydon

back to top

Leave a Reply