The Sunshine League is to stop offering residential foster care for children next month.The “excessively high costs” of the programme were cited as the reason for the change in a press release issued by the charity this afternoon.Five full-time staff have been made redundant and 13 part-time employees let go as a result.The charity is to work with the Department of Child & Family Services (DCFS) to find appropriate accommodation for the eight children it now cares for, by July 1.Said Zakiya Johnson, interim president of the Sunshine League board: “Although this is not an ideal situation, we welcome the opportunity associated with the new direction that The Sunshine League will be taking in 2011. We will be able to reach a larger number of children in Bermuda's foster-care system by supporting more cost-effective programmes that will enhance the life skills of foster care children. The board remains steadfastly committed to the needs of children that find themselves in foster care in Bermuda.“While many corporations and individuals continue to be extremely generous to The Sunshine League, the donations, foster fees and government grant are no longer enough to sustain a high-cost residential foster-care model. We considered several options, however, given the uncertainty in securing the necessary funding for residential care, we felt we could make more effective use of our resources and reach a larger number of children by supporting foster children in education-based programmes. This is a global issue that foster-care placements are facing. And as many charities in Bermuda are finding, the economic downturn has greatly affected financial giving.”It costs The Sunshine League between $75,000 and $100,000 per child per year to operate a 24-hour facility.Families interested in learning more about foster care provisions can contact DCFS on 296-7575.