Colorado is facing a major shortage of foster parents, with a new analysis finding the state needs 1,200 more foster families within the next two years.

Nearly 10,000 children spent time in foster care last year, either with foster families or in group homes or residential care centers. On average, 14 children each day are removed from their parents and placed temporarily in the child welfare system, according to data released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

“You can be single; you can be married,” said Luis Guzman, acting director of the state Office of Children, Youth and Families. “You can own your home; you can rent your home. You can have tons of parenting experience; you can have no parenting experience. All that matters is that you are 21 years old and you are able to open your heart and your home to a child in need in Colorado.”

While there are 5,000 children now in out-of-home-placements, Colorado has just 2,000 certified foster families. The shortage means children are more likely to move to a foster family in another county, away from their school, sports teams, activities and friends. It also means they are more likely to split up from the siblings.

“It’s crucial for us to recruit in a variety of communities in Colorado,” Guzman said. “When there aren’t foster homes in a variety of communities, we end up moving kids to different locations, to different schools. That just enhances the trauma and the difficulty they have.”

The number of children placed in foster care has increased steadily in the last three years. Meanwhile, Colorado child welfare officials have tried to shift more children into homes and out of the more institutional options of group homes and residential facilities.

While the amount of time children and teens spend in group homes and residential centers has decreased, the number of children placed in those “congregate care” options has not, Guzman said.

The state is in extreme need of foster families who are Latino, black and American Indian, or who identify as gay, queer or transgender. Almost 2,000 of the state’s 5,000 children currently placed in foster care are Hispanic, yet Colorado has only 450 foster families who identify as Hispanic.

The system currently has 600 children who are black, but about 200 black foster parents, according to the new data.

The state Division of Child Welfare has notified counties and child placement agencies the state needs a pool of 2,500 foster families by July 2019, a goal reached by retaining 75 percent of currently certified parents and recruiting 1,200 new ones. “This is the number we need in order to make sure that all the kids in Colorado who need foster homes get foster homes,” Guzman said.

State officials said no data is available to show how many children and teens who could have gone to a foster family went to a residential care center or group home because of the foster parent shortage.

The state recently sent $100,000 in grants to county child welfare departments and child placement agencies for marketing and recruitment efforts and has an additional $100,000 in grant funding to dispense.

Visit co4kids.org to get more information on fostering or adopting.