Annual Report on Children in Foster Homes and Children Receiving Payments (ACF-4125)

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), Section 1124 of Title I, as amended by P.L. 114-95, requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine the number of children aged five to seventeen, inclusive, that (1) are being supported in foster homes with public funds; or (2) are from families receiving assistance payments in excess of the current poverty income level for a family of four. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within HHS passes this information to the Secretary of Education for purposes of allocating grants authorized under this law. The statute requires that the formula to allocate these grants and distribute funds be based, in part, on October caseload data of the number of children in foster care or in families receiving payments from state programs funded under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)]. Both the TANF and foster care programs fall under the purview of ACF within HHS. The purpose of this annual data report is to provide annually updated data so that funds may be allocated in accordance with the ESEA.

The latest form for Annual Report on Children in Foster Homes and Children Receiving Payments (ACF-4125) expires 2027-07-31 and can be found here.