Vermont, a state with a higher proportion of children in foster care than the national average, currently has around 1500 children in the foster care system and 250 children waiting to be adopted.Although Vermont is a predominantly white and rural state, race has a significant impact on the foster care system and adoption rates. Research shows that Vermont has a disproportionate number of children of color in the foster care system. A 2016 University of Vermont study showed that 44% of interviewed parents stated that they did not want to adopt a Black child because they did not believe that “it was in the child’s best interest.” Despite the fact that there are, by raw number, more white children in Vermont’s foster care system than those of other races, children of color are placed into foster care at disproportionate rates and face additional barriers to being adopted.