Young Writers Society

hey, I'm writing a story where the main character ends up in a children home in america. What is it like there? How many kids are usuallly in each home? Are boys and girls in seperate homes? Any info you have will be helpfull, so please post away.

What time period are you looking for here? Because there are extremely few traditional orphanages left in the US. Over time, they have been replaced with other means. Such as placement under a ward, foster families and group homes. If the child has any sort of family relation out there somewhere, it's likely that they might end up under their care.

Today, there are very few traditional orphanages left. One of the few which is still around is the presbyterian Thornwell Home for Children in South Carolina.

Here's an article by the Huffington Post concerning the issue.

Are There Any Traditional Orphanages in the US?

It'll get you lots of information about how this works today. Because a lot has changed. I'm sure @Nightcrawler could give you some hands-on views of her experiences so far.

Anyhow, narrowing down the timeline for this will help a lot. It changes a lot throughout time. Then I'm sure you'll get some good input in this.

Heh, I'm sorry but I'm probably not much help when it comes to American orphanages. I agree with all Birkhoff suggested, but yeah, all of my adopted/orphaned friends live/lived in foster homes, and the only houses full of kids I've experienced are in third world countries where resources are bitterly low. Time period matters greatly, and definitely do your research. Orphans should not be romanticized. Growing up alone is a tragedy and leaves lasting effects such as PTSD and attachment disorders, which you should also research.

Long story short, find out what you're looking for and research the heck out of it. Happy writing!