Advanced  Search
Freddie Mac Foundation
Foster Care and Adoption: An Urgent Need and a National Crisis
  • More than 500,000 children in the U.S. are living in foster care; more than 129,000 are in desperate need of a permanent home
  • The number of children in foster care continues to grow.
  • Children typically enter foster care because of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
  • When children grow up without permanent homes, they are at a much greater risk of unemployment, teen parenthood, incarceration and homelessness.

Fact Sheet: Wednesday's Child FMF

Helping Foster Children Find Adoptive Homes

Wednesday’s Child—an emmy-nominated program with a proven track record of success—is part of the Freddie Mac Foundation’s national campaign to increase adoptions of children in foster care.

Each week, in five major cities across the nation, children waiting to be adopted are featured in local television news segments. Hosted by popular local newscasters and filmed at child-favorite locations—from airports to zoos—the segments highlight each child’s special qualities and interests.

To further enhance the children’s chances of finding loving homes, the campaign reaches beyond local airwaves to include each child on the National Adoption Center’s website.

By sharing the stories of waiting children and reaching out to prospective parents, Wednesday's Child has helped more than 1,400 youngsters find families to call their own. In addition, Wednesday’s Child has raised awareness of all children waiting to be adopted, prompting more than 43,000 viewers.

Wednesday’s Child Television Spots

The Freddie Mac Foundation is proud to join with local television stations and child welfare organizations to find adoptive homes for children in foster care. Our partners, geographic areas and Wednesday’s Child broadcast days and times, are:

  • Washington, DC – Program began in 1992 in cooperation with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Wednesday 5:00 p.m., Thursday 11:00 a.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m. newscasts. 1-88-TO-ADOPT-ME.

  • New York – Program began in 1999 in cooperation with the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Wednesday 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 7:00 a.m. newscasts. 212-676-WISH.

  • Los Angeles – Program began in 2000 in cooperation with the Los Angeles Department of Children & Family Services. Wednesday 10:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 p.m. newscasts. 1-866-921-ADOPT.

  • Atlanta – Program began in 2000 in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Human Resources. Wednesday 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 p.m. newscasts. 1-877-210-KIDS.

  • Philadelphia – Program began in 2004 in cooperation with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services and the National Adoption Center. Wednesday 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. newscasts. 1-866-DO-ADOPT.

View the Wednesday's Child brochure [PDF 4.5M].

Created by Freddie Mac in 1991, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to making home a place where children and families thrive. As the largest corporate funder in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested more than $348 million in organizations serving the community.