Foster Care Alumni An overlooked student population in higher education Sheila Bustillos Reynolds & Amanda Clay

What images or words come to your mind when you think of foster care?

Objectives  To review important foster care statistics  To explore reasons for high foster care alumni attrition rates  To share effective programs to support foster care alumni  To show how Texas State uses various types of media to connect with foster care alumni  To provide resources for implementing foster care support programs

National and State Data  Current number of youth placed in out of home care in Texas (2008): approx 31,000  547,000 children are in foster care in the U.S.  20,000 youth 16 or older age out of care each year in the U.S.  African Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, but represent 46% of children in foster care  8% of 31,000 will actually age out of care - Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

Transition Youth Facts and Figures  Experienced 7 or more school changes (K-12) 65%  Completed high school (general population 86%) 74%  Plan to attend college – 70%  Attended college (general population 51%) 37%  Completed a bachelor’s degree 3-11% (28% of year olds in general population)  Experience some form of homelessness once they’ve aged out of care 25% - Texas Department of Family and Protective Services -Casey Family Programs

National College Completion Rates 6 Years Post Enrollment  Overall – all students 52%  Low socio-economic status 44%  Hispanic students40%  First generation college students 43%  African American students38%  GED completers 27%  ‘Independent’ students 22%  From foster care 20%

Outcomes for Children Who Emancipate from Care  Only 9% of youth emancipate from care. 91% are either… –Reunited with their parents –Placed with relatives –Adopted  Of those who do emancipate, they have an average number of 8.6 placements and remain in care an average of 61.5 months -Texas Department of Family and Protective Services -Casey Family Programs

Retention Numbers for Texas State

Texas State Programs for Foster Care Alumni  Mentoring Program  Care Packages  Group Sessions  Alternative Spring Break Trips  GOAL Program  Weekend Trips  facebook Page

Positive Outcomes for Youth with Mentors  Increased –Self esteem –Reported positive mental and physical health –Social Skills –Post secondary education attendance  Decreased –Drug use and cigarette smoking

What are some challenges for Foster Care Alumni entering college?

Challenges  Low expectations of success  Educational gaps  Study skills  Survivor guilt  Sibling issues  Wanting to take care of family  Prioritizing family’s needs over their own

Campus Partners  Financial Aid  Housing  TRIO programs  Minority Affairs  Disability Services  Student Health Center  Counseling Center  Student Learning Assistance Center

Community Partners  State Child Welfare Agencies  Independent Living Providers  Emergency Housing  Health Services

Components for Strategic Plan I.Program’s History and Mission Statement II.Program ‘s Goals and Objectives III.Organizational Chart detailing where the Program falls IV.Staffing V.Current Funding Sources

Important Concepts and Ideas to Share with Foster Care Alumni  Teach students how to have healthy relationships with unhealthy people  Find out the students’ expectations for their family  Encourage students, if they haven’t already, to process their situation  Have a conversation about their fears behind being labeled an at-risk student  Teach them how to have relationships with students their age  Go with the students to activities on campus  Financial Literacy

A New Direction  One on one advising  Group meetings not working very well  One on one interviews to assess student needs  Establish and assess learning outcomes for the mentoring program  Convening – Summer 2010 in Texas

Resources for Former Foster Youth  Free tuition and (some) fees to any Texas state supported college  Education and Training Voucher program: up to $5,000 a year to help with other educational costs (housing, utilities, books, supplies, computer, etc.)  Medicaid coverage for youth until their 21 st birthday  Transitional Living Allowance - $1,000 provided to youth who have completed the Preparation for Adult Living Program (if they meet all eligibility)

More Resources  After Care Transitional Services (ACTS): Case management services available to youth ages  Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) – fostercarealumni.org  Texas Youth Connection -  Texas Foster Youth Justice Project -

Presentation Resources  Casey Family Programs –  Texas Department of Family Protective Services -  Texas State Foster Care Alumni Program - services/Foster-Care-Alumni.html  Online Resources: –Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Young Adults from Foster Care Selected Resources, Readings and Tools –Foster care program document –Transition Resources –Other document

Contact Information Sheila Bustillos Reynolds Amanda Clay