Foster Care: How to Bridge Child Welfare and Education Featuring Judith Martinez and Sheree Wheeler From the Colorado Department of Education October 2014

Agenda Legislation Strategies Increase Understanding 2

Fostering Connections Act of 2008 Sweeping legislation that affects many areas of child welfare law and school stability!

Colorado Legislation Education stability was incorporated into law by the Colorado legislature in 2008. In 2008, House Bill 1019 created a child welfare education liaison designated by each school district. 4

What's a CWEL The Child Welfare Education Liaisons or CWEL collaborate with child placement agencies, county departments, the state department, and schools to ensure proper school placement, transfer and enrollment of foster children. The liaisons work with all parties to ensure a foster child remains in an educational situation that promotes stability. The law also requires schools to transfer education records within five school days and that the receiving school admits these children within five days of receipt of a student’s records. 5

Strategies: Review of best practices and strategies to support education stability of highly mobile students, including an opportunities to discuss how these strategies can be applied and strengthen at the local level.  Special attention will be given to an approach based on trauma informed care. 6

Foster Care Education The Colorado Department of Education created a new program for Foster Care Education in partnership with Colorado Department of Human Services, Morgridge Family Foundation and Denver’s United Way. This program is working with public schools and districts to increase learning supports, implement effective strategies, strengthen collaboration with child welfare agencies and coordinate educational transition services for students in foster care.   7

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Understanding Increase the understanding of the similarities and differences of the McKinney-Vento Act and the Fostering Connections Act School Stability Transportation Transcripts Transitions 9

Guidance 10

Discussion What’s working in you states or school district? Questions 11

Thanks for participating Judith Martinez Sheree Wheeler From the Colorado Department of Education 303-866-6007 www.cde.state.co.us 12