Foster Youth to College!

Denny Roark, UW System

Foster Youth to College Advisory Group

• By definition foster youth have been subject to two traumatic experiences: • the neglect or abuse that brought them to the

attention of the authorities • the removal from their family

• These traumatic experiences are the root of the unique barriers to higher education opportunities faced by foster youth

More than 400,000 children in foster care in the United States.

Studies show that foster youth, especially those who “age out” without a permanent family, are much more likely to experience poverty, unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, and compromised health after they leave foster care.

It is estimated that only 54% of these youth earn a high school diploma, and 2% earn a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Fifty-one percent experience chronic unemployment.

National Statistics

The rate at which foster youth attend college is 20%

The rate at which their peers attend

college is 60%

Wisconsin Foster Youth

• Approximately 7,300 youth currently in foster care

• Approximately 400 youth annually exit care (“age out”) at age 18 in Wisconsin (almost half from Milwaukee County)

Wisconsin Youth Attending Postsecondary Education

Year Number of Youth

Attending Postsecondary

Education

Number of Youth

Receiving DCF Scholarship

2010 373 218

2011 337 210

2012 317 186

2013 427 190

2014 430 200

Source: Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth

Iowa, Illinois & Wisconsin Youth Outcomes at Age 26 (2011)

http://www.chapinhall.org/sites/default/files/Midwest%20Evaluation_Report_4_10_12.pdf

HIGHEST GRADE COMPLETED BY GENDARTotal

(N=593)Females

(N=330)Males

(N=263)# % # % # %

No HS Diploma or GED 118 19.9 57 17.3 61 23.2HS Diploma Only 182 30.7 96 29.1 86 32.7GED Only 56 9.4 27 8.2 29 11.0At Least 1 Year of College 188 31.7 114 34.5 74 28.12-Year Degree 26 4.4 18 5.5 8 3.04-Year degree 15 2.5 12 3.6 3 1.11 or More Years of Grad School 8 1.3 6 1.8 2 0.8

Foster Youth to College Advisory Group

FYC created with the first (1999) publishing of Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Chapin Hall longitudinal study)

79% of youth indicated a desire to go to college

12-18 months after aging out, only 55% had completed high school

Only 9% had entered college

Our Mission

To address the postsecondary educational challenges faced by youth in foster care and encourage college

readiness and enrollment.

To engage social workers, independent living counselors & the postsecondary community in

encouraging and supporting foster youth to, and through, college.

Who We Are

• Wisconsin Technical College System (System Office)

• Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (Association Office)

• University of Wisconsin System (System & Campuses)

• Secondary Education (School Counselor)

• Department of Public Instruction (WEOP)

• Department of Children and Families (Independent Living Coordinator)

Barriers

• Frequent disruption of education by changes in school placement: Research suggests loss of an average of 4-6 months of educational attainment each time a student changes schools

• Youth often not aware of college opportunities

• Youth often lack sufficient practical knowledge and skills to successfully navigate the college application process

• Youth often perceive the cost of college as an insurmountable barrier

• Youth have a high incidence of homelessness after leaving care

Barriers

• Lack of expectations and encouragement for college attendance by those responsible for the care and education of foster youth

• Foster care is unfamiliar to most of those who staff America’s institutions of postsecondary education

“College is not something people talk to foster children about…they don’t grow up with that cultural expectation…they are not even expected to succeed academically…but once we start expecting them to succeed they will.”

Former Foster Youth

BREAKING BARRIERS

Regionalized System of Services for Aged-Out Youth

Federally required activities and services to be offered for youth no longer in OHC ages 18-21

• Life Skills Instruction• Mentoring• Safe and stable housing, home upkeep and maintenance• Identified Income/Employment/Career Planning• Employment training and work support• Secondary education completion and postsecondary

enrollment and completion• Health and Medical• Budgeting and financial planning• Healthy Marriage• Resource and referral• Life long connections to caring adults

Breaking Barriers

• Youth resiliency• Desire for college education• Foster youth have same aspirations and academic

aptitude as their peers

• More state departments of child welfare are engaged with educational planning

• Colleges are more aware of the unique needs of foster youth

• Promising increase in youth accessing higher education in the last five years

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

A child in foster care will enroll or remain in the child’s school of origin, unless a determination is made that it is not in the child’s best interest to attend that school;

If a determination is made that it is not in the child’s best interest to remain in the school of origin, the child will be immediately enrolled in a new school, even if the child is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment; and

A new (enrolling) school immediately contacts the school of origin to obtain relevant academic and other records.

DCF Scholarship

Scholarship awards up to $5,000 for youth who have been in out-of-home care

and

are entering an accredited degree, license, or certificate program

DCF Scholarship Eligibility• Youth who left a court ordered placement at age 18

or older

• Transitioned from a court ordered out-of-home placement to guardianship or adoption after age 16

• Accepted by a postsecondary institution at the time scholarship application is submitted

• Be age 20 or younger, unless enrolled in a postsecondary program and receiving the DCF Scholarship on 21st birthday, extending eligibility to age 23

dcf.wisconsin.gov

Independent Status for Financial Aid Purposes

• Youth who age-out of care are designated independent

• Students adopted on or after their 13th birthday are not required to include their parents’ income on the FAFSA to increase financial aid opportunities (Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act)

Financial Aid• DCF Scholarship

($5,000 maximum: subject to adjustment)

• Federal Pell Grant

(2017-18 maximum $5,920)

• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

($100-$4000)

• Wisconsin Grant (Currently $250-$3000)

• (State)TIP Grant $600 to $1,800 for initial awards, $250 minimum continuing award, maximum continuing award set annually by HEAB (may not exceed $1,800

Other Scholarship Sources for Foster Youth

• Foster Care to Success Scholarship

fc2success.org

• National Foster Parent Association

www.nfpainc.org

• A good scholarship search source

fastweb.com

• Others! Search the Web!

States with

Tuition Waivers

for Foster Youth

STATES WITH TUITION WAIVERS (OR SOME VARIATION) FOR FOSTER YOUTH

Arizona New Hampshire

Connecticut New Jersey

Florida North Carolina

Kansas Oklahoma

Kentucky Oregon

Maine Rhode Island

Maryland South Carolina

Massachusetts Texas

Minnesota Utah

Missouri Virginia

West Virginia

Housing

Unlike the vast majority of traditional and nontraditional students, youth who age out of care have no where to go during semester breaks.

What YOU Can Do

• Be attentive and make that extra effort for youth in out-of-home care

• Encourage precollege programs participation• Encourage college preparation • Assist with college applications, financial aid

forms, and other parts of the transition to college• Connect youth to opportunities: Wisconsin

Education Fairs, college visits, application assistance, College Goal Wisconsin, etc.

• Be that caring adult!

What YOU Can Do

• Know who the Foster Youth to College contact is on your campus

• Educate your colleagues (recruitment & admissions, financial aid, advisors, M/D coordinators, precollege staff, residence life, faculty, administrators, etc.)

• Connect with foster youth• Assist with student and academic services and support• Reach out and stay in touch• Help resolve problems, issues, questions (don’t simply refer!)• Help identify resources and opportunities for student

engagement and to enhance the academic and social experience

• Congratulate on successes

Higher Education Foster Youth Contacts

• University of Wisconsin System• Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges

and Universities• Wisconsin Technical College System

https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youthservices/college

Presenter

Presentation Notes

15 minutes to present on October 31st

Join Us!

Thanks to Andi, foster youth alumni and UW-Oshkosh student, for joining us!