National Center for Youth Law, Santa Cruz County Launch Project
The National Center for Youth Law, together with Santa Cruz County Human Services Department, Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz, Juvenile Division, launched FosterEd: Santa Cruz County. The project, part of the national FosterEd Initiative (www.Foster-Ed.org), will improve the educational outcomes of the hundreds of school-age children in foster care living in Santa Cruz County.
“As the primary bench officer that handles all dependency cases involving Santa Cruz County children, it is clear to me that foster children have extreme unmet educational needs,” said Judge Denine Guy, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz, Juvenile Division and member of the FosterEd: Santa Cruz County leadership team.
“For example, a family with two children, ages 8 and 10, came into my court recently,” Judge Guy continued, “and neither of them had EVER been in school.”
At any given time, there are approximately 245 school-age children in Santa Cruz County’s foster care system.
FosterEd improves the educational outcomes of children in foster care by ensuring each has an educational champion supporting his or her success in school. Educational champions are most often parents, relatives, or others who know the child. Champions receive the resources, training, technical assistance, and educational mentoring needed to ensure they are able to support the educational success of the child.
FosterEd currently operates in Arizona, California, and Indiana. The Initiative has helped ensure thousands of foster children receive needed educational services and supports. Ninety-five percent of the foster children served by FosterEd receive the educational supports and services they need.
“No individual agency or organization can single-handedly enable foster children to succeed in school; improving their educational outcomes requires a collaborative approach,” said Judy Yokel, Division Director, Family and Children Services. “This project is a partnership between critical organizations in social services and education and will result in foster children being able to realize their educational dreams.”
Judge Guy pointed to national statistics that painted a bleak future for those children who find themselves in the child welfare system.
- Children in foster care have lower grade point averages, change schools more frequently, earn fewer credits toward high school graduation, have lower scores on state testing, and are more likely to be exempted from state testing.
- Children in foster care are more likely to be in special education programs with disproportionate representation in classes that are segregated.
- A number of recent studies revealed that only about 56% of youth in foster care as older adolescents graduate from high school.
- Studies also show that only 13% of former foster youth go on to college, compared to about 60% of all high school seniors.
- Only 3% of former foster youth will eventually graduate from college, as compared to about 27% of the general adult population.
Without educational success, youth in foster care are ill-equipped to support themselves as adults: over 22% of former foster children experience homelessness, and almost 25% will be incarcerated within two years of leaving the child welfare system.
FosterEd: Santa Cruz County is a pilot for the state of California. The project is overseen and supported by the California Department of Education, California Department of Social Services, California Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Child Welfare Directors Association of California. Tools, procedures, and best practices developed through this project will be disseminated statewide. The project will be subject to a rigorous external evaluation, conducted by MPR Associates, Inc.
FosterEd: Santa Cruz County represents a true community effort to guide foster children on the road to educational and life success. Additional local partners include Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Cruz County, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the Parents Center, and the Cabrillo College Foster and Kinship Care Education program. “It has been gratifying to work together to bring new resources to this longstanding need,” said CASA Executive Director Cynthia Druley. “We have confidence the program will make a powerful difference for children.”
“No group of students is more in need of educational success than children in foster care,” said Michael Watkins, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools. “Without educational attainment, many become reliant on the public welfare system, experience homelessness, or are incarcerated. I am delighted to have the opportunity to partner with FosterEd to increase the number of Santa Cruz County foster children who experience educational success and success in life.”
Over $1,750,000 has generously been provided to support this project and associated statewide work. Funders include the Stuart Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the TK Foundation, and USA Funds. The project is also supported by a grant from the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
The project is seeking volunteers to serve as educational mentors. Please contact Kim Corneille at [email protected] or (831) 763-8997 for information about how to volunteer.