"How a Family Was Made" tells the story of Mama and Daddy Evans, a young couple who love children, and how their family grew. Lily and Roma, biological daughters, are two and four years old when their parents decide to have more children, but through adoption. Three little boys complete the family, which becomes interracial. Instead of making a big deal of the boys' differences, they are embraced as beautiful parts of the whole in a loving family of seven. The author uses gentle humor and love to describe this heartwarming story of her own family . This charming new book is a must read for families planning to expand by adoption. It's a valuable tool for parents in preparing young children for new siblings brought into the home through the adoption process. By reading the book to and with their children, parents can convey to the little ones what a joyous occasion the event will be. This fun little story was written by a real Grammy Paula Anderson has always loved to write, and this is her first published work. Watch for more of her children's stories in the future. Paula lives in Kansas with her husband and son, a dog named Sam, and three cats, and she really does have five grandchildren In future books she will tell the story of how the family got Sam, and maybe even some more stories about her grandchildren. Nedra Lynch has been doodling, drawing and spattering paint since she could hold a crayon. She doesn't know when she started creating art; it has been something she does naturally. Nedra says, "As I paint mostly animals and country life this adventure into children's illustration has been a joy." Her delightful illustrations for this book bring the author's loving words to life. Nedra shows and sells her work at Globe Art and Glass Studio and Gallery in Globe, Kansas; a small town west of Baldwin City, Kansas. To see more of her work, go to: www.globeartglass.com

Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for children who cannot remain safely in their own homes. For nearly every child who enters foster care, a first goal of the child welfare agency is to ensure necessary services are identified, and provided, so that the child can quickly and safely return to his or her parents. Most children who leave foster care do so to be reunited with parents or other family members. For some children, however, this is not possible. In those cases, the child welfare agency must work to find a new permanent home for these children and this may be accomplished through adoption or legal guardianship. As the U.S. Constitution has been interpreted, responsibility for the protection of children and the well-being of children and their families, is considered primarily a state duty. However, Congress has long sought to assist states in improving their child welfare services. In exchange for federal funding to support provision of foster care and other child welfare services, states must meet certain federal requirements.1 Under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, states, territories, and tribes who meet those requirements are entitled to claim partial federal reimbursement for the cost of providing foster care, adoption assistance, and kinship guardianship assistance to children who meet federal eligibility criteria. The Title IV-E program, as it is commonly called, provides support for monthly payments on behalf of eligible children, as well as funds for related case management activities, training, data collection, and other costs of program administration. In FY2011, states (including the 50 states and the District of Columbia) spent $12.4 billion under the Title IV-E program, and received federal reimbursement of $6.7 billion, or 54% of that spending.