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Since Moffat County Social Services started searching for new foster parents this summer, they have gained two families who are currently going through the application process.

"We are still searching for two more families," said Tom Dunlop, a social worker from Moffat County Department of Social Services.

Families receive stipends for taking care of foster children, which varies depending the age of the child and how involved the foster parent is in the child's life.

"There is a kind of balance -- too many families and they (the families) start feeling left out of the loop as far as getting to care for the children, but too few and there are children who are not being able to be placed," Dunlop said.

Prospective foster parents must go through many hours of training. There is an initial 12 hours of training, and then within the next six months the families go through 20 more hours. Every year after that foster parents go through an additional 20 hours a year of training. Training for foster parents will be held in Craig on Aug. 22 and 23.

"We have a ways to go before we get to that balance," Dunlop said, "so that families can have time off if they need it and people who want kids can generally have them."

"We go through phases where we have quite a few kids."

There are a few families that have been around for a long time and that is good because if all the families were new, it would be difficult, according to Dunlop.

"My guess would be that the summer is a slower time (for people needing social services)," Dunlop said. "Maybe when kids go back to school it gets stressful."

"People should do it for themselves," said Sandra Loya, co-owner of Casa Loya and a foster parent. "But they should do it more for the kids."

Liz King is an intern with the Craig Daily Press. She can be reached at 842-7031 or eking@craigdailypress.com.