OUR KIDS OF MIAMI-DADE/MONROE, INC. EDUCATION COLLABORATION PROJECT Presented by: Additional Key Project Team: Claudia Kitchens Robin Molan Director of Program Innovation Director of Transitioning Youth and Fund Development Services & Education Chelsea Wilkerson Communities in Schools of Education Collaboration Project Miami Manager The Thurston Group Miami-Dade Co Public Schools

Grantee Program Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Inc. (Our Kids), oversees and leads a coordinated system of care delivering excellence to abused, abandonded and neglected children and their families in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Our Kids is the largest privatized provider of foster care services in the country. 2

Education System Collaboration Project Description Project goals and objectives Improve collaborative efforts, communication and cooperative agreements among partners engaged with youth in foster care to address barriers to permanency. Improve the usage and understanding of existing data to guide service delivery among partners engaged with youth in foster care. Demonstrate the extent to which an evidence-based model for drop-out prevention (the CIS of Miami program) is effective for students in foster care Improve the academic performance of targeted students in foster care. Improve the socio-emotional and behavioral well-being of targeted students in foster care. Increase the participation of foster/bio parents in developing and implementing youth’s Education and Career Plan. Improve the permanency and educational stability of students in foster care. 3

Education System Collaboration Project Description Target population is 80 foster youth in Miami- Dade County Public Schools, primarily at high school level Key collaborative partners: Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Inc. Communities in Schools of Miami, Inc. (CIS of Miami) Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) 11 th Circuit Court – Juvenile Division The Thurston Group (evaluation) 4

Education System Collaboration Project Description Four focus areas to improve protocols and maximize services: 1. Education and Career Plan (EC Plan) A legislatively mandated comprehensive education and career path plan for foster youth years old, to be completed within 30 days of 13 th birthday (or 30 days of entering out-of-home care) and updated every six months Challenges/Opportunities: Improve utilization of plan by all parties (foster/bio parent, student, case worker, school staff, judicial); increase school staff involvement in plan development; move the plan “off the page,” make it more vibrant and usable 2. Drop Out Prevention Florida DCF data shows foster youth much more likely to have educational deficits and poor educational outcomes. Research also shows that children who move three or more times are more likely to drop out. Challenges/Opportunities: Partnership with Communities in Schools to provide targeted school-based services to youth in care; cross-train staff on school system and child welfare system protocols; increased youth engagement in school and career planning through the cross-system partnership 5

Education System Collaboration Project Description Four focus areas to improve protocols and maximize services (continued): 3. Data Sharing and Data Use Our Kids and M-DCPS have excellent electronic data-sharing agreement and systems in place, including daily school data updates and “red flag” system. Challenges/Opportunities: Data availability and flow is good, however data usage needs to be improved; better, more effective use of data; making information not just accessible, but actionable. 4. Education Dependency Action Team, M-DCPS, Dependency Court and Our Kids EDAT dedicated staff from M-DCPS, Court, and Our Kids co-located at Juvenile Justice Center serves M-DCPS, Our Kids, DCF, and Guardian Ad Litem on all dependency issues. Serves as a clearinghouse to resolve issues directly related to dependent student school records and enrollment issues. Challenges/Opportunities: Existence of this office assists in communication and information flow, however the resource could be better maximized with enhanced protocols ensuring consistent use and availability of information. 6

Education System Collaboration Project Description Expected Outcomes: Increased understanding and usage of data (i.e. EC Plans, school data, other) 70% of 80 students: Remain in school Improve academic performance Improve attendance Not receive outdoor suspension Improve school permanency 25% of 80 students will demonstrate improved educational stability 75% of foster/bio parents will participate in youth EC Plan 7

Evaluation Approach The Thurston Group specializes in community based applied research to inform decision-making; evaluations of program services and outcomes; and consulting and technical assistance as needed. Evaluation design includes use of comparison data to help determine the extent to which outcomes for foster youth can be attributed to the program. Data sources to include electronic data sharing from MDCPS, evidence-based assessment tools (SDM) from cross-system partners, agency records, observations, focus groups/structured interviews w/ school personnel, foster youth and parents, and major partners. 8

Evaluation Approach Key research questions being asked in the evaluation: 1. How can we improve and/or maximize on collaborative services available to improve educational stability and permanency of youth in foster care? 2. Is CIS of Miami’s service delivery model effective in providing targeted interventions and promoting educational stability for youth in foster care? (To be explored through the process evaluation.) 9

Expected Opportunities and Challenges Opportunities (the exciting stuff): 1. Development of Education Support Workgroup (Task Force) to provide “field level” support to case workers and serve as forum for sharing successes and challenges 2. Supporting efforts of Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) 3. Gathering candid input from stakeholders on opportunities for improvement 4. Making Education and Career plans more “vibrant” documents, potential for improving the format of the EC Plan Challenges: 1. Moving from partnership to collaboration – allow partners opportunities to express frustrations and concerns 2. EC Plan process – continue to reinforce importance, provide opportunities for improvement 10

Sustainability & Dissemination Plans Our Kids has a proven track record of sustaining innovative program initiatives beyond the initial grant period. Sustainability efforts include: 1. Focus on incorporating project initiatives in exiting operations (working with existing resources and infrastructure) 2. Creating opportunities to incorporate the project in broader initiatives 3. Identifying potential funding opportunities through local family and community foundations. Dissemination of evaluation outcomes and findings: 1. Presentation at regional, state, and national child welfare conferences 2. Optimization of existing information sharing channels, social media, annual reports, etc. 3. Project partners to disseminate results through state and national networks 11

What questions do you have for your fellow CWED Grantees? 1. Effective strategies for engaging school systems (in our case a very large school system)? 2. Effective strategies for engaging foster/bio parents, particularly when dealing with older teens? 3. Outside partner engagement – how to better “blend/mesh” organizations? 12