State to get $8.4 million for foster care, adoption

Illinois will receive $8.4 million in federal stimulus money for foster care and adoption assistance programs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday the release of money authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The department says $4.7 million will support adoption assistance programs in Illinois, while nearly $3.7 million will go to foster care programs.

The department's Administration for Children and Families will distribute nearly $187 million nationwide for the first and second quarters of this year. That represents a 6.2 percentage point increase.

As of 2007, there were about 496,000 children in foster care nationwide.