Parmadale As Orphanage May Be Best Use Of Existing Facilities

There are too many babies and children in the United States who need our help. “Unwanted” babies and children need more support than from the foster system we have and many children “fall between the cracks” of humanity. The obvious solution is to bring back state-run orphanages.

Each year, almost a million children come in contact with the foster care system. Over $25 billion a year – or $60,000 a child – is spent on foster care programs. That is a conservative approximation.

According to ABC News, experts estimate that most foster care placements can be traced to substance abuse. Also, most kids are placed in the system temporarily due to parental abuse or neglect.

There are also stunning facts regarding foster care in America:

• About 50,000 infants are placed in foster care every year.
• 150,000 kids are currently available for adoption.
• Some kids stay in the system for about three years before re-joining their families or adopted.
• Moving in and out of different homes can be unsettling for children.
• Most kids have been separated from their brothers and sisters as well as their parents.
• When kids “age out” of the system there are not a lot of options for them and many end up homeless.
• Many case workers “burn out” due to the number of cases assigned to them... well over the recommended number.
• Many stories regarding horrible treatment from foster parents illuminates the fact that foster families are not well screened or policed.

America cannot ignore the problem anymore. We must be honest and shine a light on the problems and, more important, the solution.

With all the advancements in technology, child development and drug addiction, it’s a wonder that America hasn’t re-opened the idea of state-run orphanages. In the past, there were horror stories of how children were abused in such places. Not all, but the bad does overshadow the good. Now, rather than spend millions of dollars throwing money at the problem with no good outcome, we can build orphanages and help kids with a positive future.

Parmadale, in Parma, Ohio, was an orphanage for families who couldn’t afford to raise their kids because of the depression or other reasons. Catholic Charities ran it and there were nuns and priests who tended to the children. It wasn’t perfect, but a few of the gentlemen who were raised there and went off to become doctors and lawyers said it was a “wonderful” experience.

Everyone had a bed, hot meals, an education, structure and discipline, friends, and the opportunity to play sports. And a future. Of course, it wasn’t all perfect back then. But the idea was good.

Parmadale today may be closing down. The people who work there are overwhelmed with the struggles of caring for problem children. They don’t have the requirements or the financial support to run Parmadale correctly.

Today, with technology, there is an opportunity for a checks and balances system to make sure there is no abuse or bullying from the kids or the people put in charge of them. Not only would every room be monitored, but also the background checks of the people that work there would be severe. There would be strict rules to follow, both for workers and children living there.

The grounds themselves are available immediately. There are so many buildings, hospitals, apartments, etc. that are sitting collecting dust. The state or federal government could utilize these places and update them for use as orphanages.

The people who work at these places could be the same folks who enjoy being foster parents. But they would need the education and background checks necessary for their work. Or they could donate their time in numerous ways.

There would also be child “experts” and psychologists to help with the number of psychological problems these children could come in with. There would be doctors and nurses to help as well as educators and advisors.

The foster program is failing miserably in this country. There are not enough checks and balances to follow up with every child or every family in need. Orphanages can be monitored, maintained, and cost-efficient while helping at-risk and unwanted kids get a better education, upbringing, and future.