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AB12 Question of the Week: Post-Secondary Education Series
Q: Is a student who exited to guardianship prior to her 16th birthday, but whose dependency case remained open, eligible for Chafee ETV?
To read the answer, follow this LINK.
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Webinar: Burton Book Fund 101 - Intro to the 2016-17 Program
The John Burton Foundation will be hosting a webinar on July 7th, at 10:00 a.m. to review changes to the Burton Book Fund for the 2016/2017 academic year. The Burton Book Fund offers grants for foster youth enrolled in a California college or university to pay for textbooks needed for classes. JBF will be making modifications to program operations for the coming year and campus staff who are new to the program as well as those who have participated in the past are both encouraged to participate.
To register CLICK HERE.
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YouthSpeak: The Importance of Foster Youth Voice
Mark Casas, a former foster youth currently attending CSU Fullerton, had the opportunity to attend a recent meeting of child welfare professionals, school district administrators, and advocates at the Stuart Foundation in San Francisco. Mark blogs about his experience and the importance of youth voice, including how young leaders can help improve policy and practice in the latest YouthSpeak installment.
To read the post CLICK HERE.
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GAO Releases New Report: Actions Needed to Improve Federal Financial Assistance for Homeless and Foster Youth
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report describing the challenges and barriers affecting the ability of homeless and foster youth to pursue a college education. The study found that homeless and foster youth graduate from college at a sharply lower rate than other students – 14% of foster youth complete a bachelor's degree within 6 years compared to 31% for other students. Factors affecting college completion include weak academic foundations, limited or no family support, lack of awareness of available financial resources and burdensome bureaucratic requirements for financial aid and other assistance.
The report found that because of severe trauma from abuse or neglect, many homeless and foster youth are put off by intrusive personal questions and discouraged by extensive documentation requirements such as asking students to justify why they are homeless and re-verify homelessness annually. In addition, age eligibility rules block foster youths’ access to Chafee Education and Training Vouchers if they start college after age 21.
The report included six recommendations to the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to improve homeless and foster youth access to financial assistance for college including centralizing college information for these youth on the Department of Education's website and simplifying federal requirements for homeless and foster youth. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
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New Policy Brief Looks at Experiences of Former Foster Youth in Postsecondary Education
A new policy brief from the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education (WISCAPE) uses data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) to comprehensively examine disparities between foster youth and non-foster youth in postsecondary education. The study found that foster youth are more likely to delay their enrollment in postsecondary education following high school graduation, to attend part-time, and to take remedial education courses; all of these factors are associated with decreased chances of completing a postsecondary degree. In addition, their cumulative undergraduate GPA was, on average, lower than for non-foster youth.
Foster youth also face distinctive risks in accessing financial aid. Since most foster youth attend community colleges and for-profit institutions that award less institutional aid than four-year colleges, their access is less than non-foster youth generally. Foster youth experiences often leave them less academically prepared by standard measures of merit (e.g., ACT scores) meaning that they are less likely to qualify for merit-based aid; yet many colleges redirected financial aid resources from need-based to merit-based aid from 2000-2012. As a result, the gap in financial aid between foster youth and non-foster youth increased during this period.
The study describes the need for more accurate and comprehensive data generated through collaboration across education and social service agencies to ensure that all foster youth are accurately identified. A comprehensive inventory of campus based support programs is also needed to assess whether the programs are housed where the greatest need exists, such as at community colleges, given that foster youth enroll at higher rates in community colleges than 4-year universities. To read the full report CLICK HERE.
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New Foster Care Transition Toolkit Offers Tips for Helping Foster Youth Succeed as Adults
The U.S. Department of Education has released a new toolkit to support and inspire current and former foster youth as they move into adulthood and pursue college and career opportunities. The Foster Care Transition Toolkit includes tips and resources intended to help youth establish the necessary social, emotional, and educational skills they need for success. While the toolkit is written for foster youth, it is also meant to be a resource for caseworkers, caregivers, teachers and mentors to help foster youth realize their dreams.
Readers will find advice on building a support network, managing money, creating a resume for seeking a job and career, health care resources, securing housing and transportation, and ensuring physical and mental health. Information and links to other resources such as mentoring and career resources for foster youth are also included. One particularly helpful resource referenced in the guide is the FosterClub Transition Toolkit, whch includes worksheets that help define goals, build a support team, identify resources, refine skills, and map out a plan for post-foster care life.
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Stakeholders Come Together to End Youth Homelessness
A Way Home America (AWHA), a new national initiative to build the movement to prevent and end homelessness among young people, formally launched on June 3rd. The effort will build on Opening Doors, the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness and corresponds with the White House Policy Briefing on Ending Youth Homelessness co-hosted by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the True Colors Fund.
The launch of A Way Home America is unique in that it includes the involvement of over 50 different organizations addressing youth homelessness. Federal partners are engaged and at the table, including the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness which leads the coordinated federal response to homelessness and its member agencies. Plans for the coming year include engaging young people who have experienced homelessness about how to solve the problem and identifying actions and policies necessary to eliminate youth and young adult homelessness. The group also will be launching 100-Day Challenges that set ambitious goals for housing homeless youth and by sharing successful outcomes for replication nation-wide.
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