Example One:

Here's a girl that before her father died tended a gaggle of foster girls in a run-down house with the help of her 'boyfriend' and three 'sisters' - one by blood, two by fosterage. Aja and Shana were never 'adopted' as Bentons, and remained just a smidge outside the family circle until they were adults - after which staying because they simply didn't have anywhere else to go.

They all pretty much lived on a shoestring - despite the reportedly profitable record company funneling profits into it, and 'just about everything needed fixing'. However, we must believe that the kids didn't mind because they got so much 'love' that they didn't even notice they were in a dump a few tiny clicks above a Dicken's tale. These girls would even go out and earn money themselves 'doing odd jobs' which they placed in the 'honor jar' towards the 'common good'.

As I understand things, most human services/social workers don't like a foster home that gets a portion of its budget from the sweat of its charges - even in the 80s. For the slow class, giving a kid (foster or not) chores to do is considered 'building character' and teaching them the value of work/helping out. Conversely, shopping your kids (foster or not) out to the neighborhood as a labor force so you can afford to buy a new fridge has been illegal in this country since 1938. The youngest of them 'walked a dog' for money to contribute at the ripe old age of eight. According to federal law, the MINIMUM age for paid work is fourteen provided the child has working papers - the only exception being that one could work for the parent/legal guardian's own business. Working to SUPPORT their residence/foster home/business isn't QUITE the letter of the law, but rather patently illegal and exploitive.

However, since Jerrica is SUCH a good person everyone just ignores all this.

Bottom Line: Profit at the harm of another is widely considered as evil. Violating federal child labor laws is illegal. Neither seem to be the actions of a 'loving foster parent', objectively speaking.