With as many as 10 calls a week for child placements, the central Alberta foster care system is struggling to meet demand.

McMann Family Resource Network currently has about 40 children in its program, but could use at least 30 more foster homes, says agency worker Jacki Collisson. The greatest need is for children aged two to five.

“We are just one agency,” Collisson said, noting that other organizations across the region face the same challenges. “It’s a huge region.”

The need for foster homes in central Alberta is great. Collisson notes that in 2023, the last year for which she has numbers, around 4,400 children were in care throughout the province.

"That's a high percentage of kids," said Collisson.

The number of children in care with the agency at any one time varies; while the u

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