Refers to non-infant, school age children, who have become legally available for adoption. They will generally be under the legal jurisdiction and care of public foster care agencies, and will have come into the foster care system for a variety of reasons, which could include neglect, abandonment, abuse and/or some other dysfunction within their family environment.

Waiting children may or may not have developed emotional and/or behavioural reactions to these experiences, and may or may not be physically or developmentally challenges or delayed as a natural result of what they have been through. How severe and treatable these conditions will be will depend entirely on the individual circumstances of each child. By the same token, a significant percentage of waiting children will be healthy and well cared for, but will have become victims of some type of family tragedy that has put them in a position where they need responsible parenting.

Many waiting children will have siblings who are also available for adoption, and who would prefer to stay together as a family unit. In most geographic locations, more than half of the waiting children will be ethnically diverse or will be children of color. Two things that all "Waiting Children" will have in common are: 1) their need to become a permanent part of a responsible and nurturing family, where they will be loved and encouraged to achieve their full potential, and 2) although imperfect and most often challenging, they can bring tremendous joy and satisfaction for their new families.