1. Supporting Foster Youth across the LACCD Towards Completion
DEBBIE

2. CA College Pathways Statewide initiative
Includes CCC, CSU, UCs and Private Campuses
Initiatives goals:
By 2018: 1,000 FY will graduate college or receive a certificate/degree
FY will achieve important milestones at rates equal to or better than the general student population
This training is sponsored by California College Pathways
CA College Pathways (CCP) is a statewide initiative managed by the John Burton Foundation focused on supporting campus-based efforts to improve access and retention for FY in higher education.
The project services are available to a range of institutions including community colleges, public 4-year universities and private schools.
The primary goal of the project is to provide the support needed in order for campuses to be able to take the next steps towards developing a successful support system for foster youth on campus – with the ultimate goal being that more foster youth go to college and more foster youth stay in college.
CCP technical assistance advisors provide direct assistance to campuses that are interested in enhancing their already existing services or beginning new services for FY on their campus. The project also sponsors trainings, advocates for system change and works to increase the visibility of this population. Much of the support focuses on the creation of comprehensive support programs for foster youth. {If applicable mention your campus support program.} There are about 40 or so of these program across the state and they typically provide assistance with admissions, applying for financial aid/ scholarships, academic support, mentoring, personal counseling and referrals to other resources. These programs are designed to lighten the burden for youth who enter into post-secondary education and provide them with a support system, in particular when there is no family to play that role. Currently these programs are largely concentrated at the 4-year university level, but more and more community colleges are beginning to develop them as well.

3. Statewide Data Child Welfare Data
57,000 children and youth in the State’s Child Welfare System
Abuse and Neglect
LA County has half of the statewide foster youth population
Trauma effects cognitive development
Add information about the number of foster youth in your county, caseload trends or other relevant statistics. The Administrative Office of the Courts has extensive data regarding each county’s child welfare caseload at

4. DESPITE THESE STATISTICES - 25% OF FOSTER YOUTH ENROLL IN COLLEGE
By age 24…
Foster Youth
Comparison
Ever homeless
24% NA
Currently employed
48%
74%
Women ever pregnant
75%
40%
Median income
$8,000
$18,300
Men convicted of crime
59%
10%
Women convicted of crime
28% 2%
Comparison group - National Longitudinal Study Of Adolescent Health
As the chart on this slide shows, all of these factors take their toll. Outcomes for foster youth by the age of 24 are notably worse than for their peers.
All of the information presented in these last few slides paints a troubling picture. Despite these dismal statistics however, there is actually much to be hopeful about. Along with hardship can come resilience and as we’ll talk about as we move through the rest of the presentation, changes are happening that create tremendous opportunities to improve the outcomes for these youth. With you as their partner in this process, we can see these numbers change.
Source: Mark Courtney, et al, Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes at Age 23 and 24, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 2011
DESPITE THESE STATISTICES - 25% OF FOSTER YOUTH ENROLL IN COLLEGE
Mark Courtney, et al, Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes at Age 23 and 24, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 2011.

5. Recent Changes in Legislation
Youth can now stay in foster care until 21
Eligibility requirements can include going to college or vocational school
2.5 times greater likelihood of attending college and 3 times more likely to obtain BA
Can live with foster parents, relatives or independent housing
AB12 (2011) – Extended Foster Care
AB194 (2012) – Priority Enrollment
In recent years there have been a couple of very significant legislative changes that impact foster youth that are important to highlight.
AB 12 or Extended Foster Care allows foster youth who turn 18 in foster care to continue to receive support for an additional 3 years. Prior to AB12, youth emancipated at the age of 18 with no family support, income or life skills and often ended up homeless. With Extended Foster Care in place now in California, the hope is that the narrative about foster youth will begin to change for the better. The extension of foster care will likely mean that more foster youth will be able to go to college because they won’t be thrust into the world on their own as soon as they finish high school with no support. They will have housing for three more years along with a social worker who can advise them and help them to use the additional time in foster care to gain the skills necessary for independent living. In exchange, youth are required to go to school, work or engage in activities leading to work or school (with some exceptions for disabled youth). New housing options created by AB12 allow these youth to live with a relative or foster parent, or they can live independently in their own apartment, a college dorm, with roommates, etc. and receive financial support as well as services from the child welfare system.
Research supports the prediction that there are likely to be more foster youth enrolling in college and university as a result of the availability of extended foster care benefits. The “Midwest Study” surveyed 732 youth who exited foster care from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin at ages 18, 19, 21, and 24. Iowa and Wisconsin discontinue benefits at 18 and Illinois continues benefits until 21. The difference in outcomes was significant with youth in Illinois being 2.5 times more likely to attend college and 3 times more likely to obtain BA. Other outcomes included a 38% reduction in the risk of becoming pregnant and a 65% reduction in the risk of being arrested.
Another significant change is AB194 which gave youth who were in foster care when they turned 18 the right to priority enrollment at community colleges, CSUs and many UCs.

6. Legislation Continued
CAFYES- Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Success
BOG Fee Waiver Exemption
CSAC – Chafee Grant
CCC Apply

7. Where we Were – 2012
The chart below represents all 113 community college campuses, 23 CSUs and 9 UCs, along with 2 private 4-year colleges. All campuses within the three public systems of post-secondary education have at a minimum, a single point of contact for foster youth.

8. Current Picture- 2015
24 additional CSPs are now established programs, some that were emerging a few years ago have now sustained themselves
We have 10 additional campuses that are emerging
We have 29 light touch programs
And 51 CCCs that have FYSI support only.

9. Los Angeles Community College District
Multiple campuses with different types of support
Various compositions (location of program, managing department, connection to the college)
Different methods of MIS flagging
Different eligibility criteria for priority registration
The problem:
Various compositions (location of program, managing department, connection to the college)
Different methods of MIS flagging
Different eligibility criteria for priority registration
Overview of nine campuses – two (2) stand-alone / six (6) - / one (1)- LAH – new
Locations: Financial Aid/ College Foundation/ Academic Affairs/ Student Services/FKCE
Students Served: (various from campus to campus) based on population
-Each campus has developed their program based on campus needs/regional location within LA area
-Conducted surveys/focus groups/
Flagging: Admissions/Financial Aid
Priority reg: various from campus to campus
-Each campus uses a different baseline age (i.e., or 16-30)

10. Los Angeles Community College District
Established a district-wide FY Work Group
Began meeting in Winter 2015
Worked closely with the district office and their SIS Modernization team to improve the FY flagging process
Rewriting question on CCC Apply
Establishing set principles widely adopted for priority registration eligibility and outreach
Created a “Welcome Letter”
The re-design and need for uniformity
Devon & Veronica
Vero:
1st bullet & second bullet (phone meeting)
Next meeting was with the district with the SIS modernization team
5th bullet
6th bullet (CCC Apply)
Devon
3rd bullet, 4th bullet

11. Steps to Take in Your Own District
Find the point person for FY on your campus
Learn about the current processes for FY
Figure out the existing connections
Work with the FY point people to develop a working group
Ascertain the proper person to work with at your district level
Once you have a good number of the puzzle pieces on your own campus and in the district, begin to have conversations about the ways in which each campus conducts support to FY:
Priority registration (eligibility, flagging, documents needed)
MIS flagging (what is feeding this flag ? (CCC Apply, Financial Aid, CHAFEE, EOPS?)
Eligibility for program participation
Use of equity and/or SSSP funding to support the population
Types of services offered
Welcome Letter/ once they self-identify
CAFYES funding and new opportunities

12. LMU Guardian Scholars Program

13. LMU GSP Overview Serve former/current foster youth
Coordinate individualized services
Guaranteed access to year-round housing
Engage students as leaders
Aid in the successful completion of their degrees
Assist with post-graduate transitions
Coordinate individualized services: referrals to campus resources and transitional support

14. Guardian Scholars Mentor
3 Ways to Get Involved
Participate in Guardian Scholar social activities
Guardian Scholars Mentor
Guardian Scholar
GS Social Activities
and meet with the GSP Coordinator to receive individualized services and support
Become a Guardian Scholars Mentor by serving as a leader in the student mentoring program for the Guardian Scholars community
Become a Guardian Scholar by participating in a paid on-campus internship, enroll in an internship course and meet with the GSP Coordinator (application process)

15. LMU-Community College Connection
63% of fall 2015 transfer enrollees coming from community college (~236 students)
Transfer agreements
35 specific agreements from Northern/Southern California CCs
Top transfer institutions: Santa Monica College, El Camino College, Pasadena City College
Access LMU visit Day—October and March
Community College Counselor Alliance Day—October
What do foster youth need to do?
Perform Well
&
Take the correct courses
There isn’t a particular credit requirement to transfer; but different transfer requirements
LMU launched their program in partnership with two local CCs.
Growing transfer population and commitment to their success
Take correct classes and perform well
No credit requirement for transfer, however different transfer requirements depending on credits
Major specific recommendations
CBA-Math Requirement
CSE-Course Requirements
LMU GSP Launched Fall 2013 as part of the West LA Network with UCLA and Santa Monica College Guardian Scholars Programs (GSP)

16. Successful Transfer to LMU

17. LMU Admission and Foster Youth
Reach out to coordinator during application process
Indicate foster youth on LMU’s Common Application (question added fall 2014)
Indicate foster youth status on FAFSA
Personal statement/additional information on application

18. Believe in Foster Youth
“No one rises to low expectations” – Les Brown
Danger of the self-fulfilling prophecy
Set high expectations – regardless of past performance
Consistently express expectation that the youth will graduate from college and go on to a successful career
Use such phrases as, “When you transfer to a four year university….”
Sometimes you will find that a foster youth is on campus, but they still do not believe that they can do it. Here is your chance to show that that they can! Let them know that you are their for them and invested in their success. As you have learned, foster youth often do not have positive adult role models in their life and creating a supportive and caring relationship with an adult can make a huge difference. That someone can be any of you in this room
What you say to a young person matters more than you may think. Assuming that a youth will not succeed in college can have a significant negative outcome whereas believing in a youth’s ability to be successful, regardless of their past, can be a strong motivator.
Research abounds that supports the notion that ones belief in oneself can greatly influence outcomes.
Example 1: In the famous Oak School experiment, teachers were led to believe that certain students selected at random were likely to be showing signs of a spurt in intellectual growth and development. At the end of the year, the students of whom the teachers had these expectations showed significantly greater gains in intellectual growth than did those in the control group. Studies conducted in higher education settings show an equally significant "expectancy advantage" for those for whom instructors maintain higher expectations. (Rosenthal, Robert; Jacobson, Lenore (1992). Pygmalion in the classroom.
Example 2: In colleges across the US, women with the same credentials do worse in advanced math tests than men. In an experiment researchers told women prior to taking a test that the test has been structured to eliminate the gender gap in results. Making that statement prior to giving the test eliminated the actual performance gap even though the test itself had not been altered. (Research by Claude Steele, Dean of Stanford School of Education).

19. For More Information
Devon Werble, John Burton Foundation Veronica Garcia, East LA College Alex Ojeda, LA Valley College Julia Keighley, Loyola Marymount