The purpose of Ohio REACH is to address recruitment and retention of emancipated foster youth in Ohio’s higher education system and establish foster care liaisons at Ohio universities and community colleges.

1. David Johnston, Life Skills Coordinator,
Casey Family Services, New Haven, Connecticut;
Lisa Dickson, Communications Chair,
Foster Care Alumni of America, Ohio Chapter
Columbus State Community College, May 12, 2009
Supporting the Journey from
Foster Care to Postsecondary
Education

2. “No one ever talks to foster kids about college.
Why not?”
Adam, foster care alumni, lawyer and Georgetown graduate
“I just needed to hear somebody tell me I could
do it. I had never heard that before.”
Charvett, foster care alumni , California State East Bay student
“I had no idea what college was or how to get
there. I didn’t have a family to help me.”
DeShaun, foster care alumni, paralegal and College of Mt. St. Vincent graduate
2

3. Foster Care Youth
• 500,000+/- on any given day are in state
foster care
• 59% are children of color
• 28% in care three years or more
• 48% have family reunification as goal
• 46% live with foster licensed parents

4. “Aging Out”
• 20,000+ age out (‘emancipate’) from foster care
annually
• 39% graduate from high school or obtain a GED
compared to 76% of the general population
• 22% are homeless for at least one night after leaving
care compared to 1% of the general population
• 33% living below the poverty line which is 3 times the
national poverty rate for the same age group
• Higher rate of PTSD than any other “challenged” group
• 33% have no health insurance compared to 18% of the
general population

5. Point of Transition:
Child and Adult
Systems
Disconnection
Child Mental Health
Adult Mental Health
Child Welfare
Special Education
Juvenile Justice Criminal Justice
Substance Abuse
Vocational Rehabilitation
Housing

6. Successful Transition
to Adulthood
• Cultural and personal identity formation
• Community connections and supportive
relationships – especially a permanent family
• Physical and mental health
• Life skills
• Education
• Employment
• Housing

7. Educational Outlook
• High school graduation = <50%
• Receive special education services = +/-30%
• Seven or more school changes = 65%
• College enrollment rate = +/-10%?
• 4 year college completion rate =2%/4%?

8. Higher ed, living wage
• A bachelor's degree today is the equivalent of
a high school degree in the 60s
• Two-thirds of all new jobs that will be created
in the next 10 years will require post-
secondary education

9. Employment, earnings
• Adults who have only a high school degree
are twice as likely to be unemployed as those
with a bachelor's degree
• A typical high school graduate, with no
additional education, will earn over his/her
lifetime half as much as a college graduate

10. “College was my lifeline”

11. Diagram by
Lisa Dickson

13. Statistics Tell A Story
• Foster care youth attend five high schools on
average
• With each transfer, lose 4-6 months of academic
progress
• 65% change schools in the middle of the year
• Higher rates of absenteeism, grade retention,
special education, dropping out before graduation

14. School Transfer
Issues
• School changes
• Different textbooks
• Credit transfer
issues
• Educational liaison?

16. K-12 school/placement
instability
• Academic/learning gaps
• Lack of educational and career advocacy
• Low high school graduation rates
• Emotional/mental health issues
• Records transfer and confidentiality issues
• Lack of education outcome data
• Long terms effects of abuse and neglect – trust
issues

17. Barriers to College Access
and Success
• On their own (‘Independence’) at a young age
• Survival mode dominates
• Lack of knowledge about college
• Lack of role models
• Lack of college advocates, mentors/coaches
• Long terms effects of abuse and neglect – trust
issues
• Few college programs are aware of their support
needs

18. Connecticut
Postsecondary
Committee
Mission:
To increase the ability of foster youth to attend and
succeed in postsecondary education.

19. Connecticut Postsecondary
Education Committee
• Dr. Delia Bello-Davila, Chief Operating Officer, Our Piece of the Pie Inc, Hartford
• Lila Coddington, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain
• Meghan Collins, Connecticut Community Colleges, Hartford
• Nicole DeRonck, Vice President, Conn. Assoc. of School Counselors
• Jill Ferraiolo, Connecticut State University System, Hartford
• Vanessa Gonzalez, Student, St. Josephs College
• Gretchen Hayden, Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium
• Dr. Ronald Herron, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven
• Wendy Jackson, Department of Children & Families, Hartford
• David Johnston, Casey Family Services, New Haven, Committee Chair
• Wendy Kwalwasser, Department of Children & Families, Hartford
• Betty McElveen, Casey Family Services, Bridgeport
• T.J. Michalski, Casey Family Services, Hartford
• Maria Pastorelli, Department of Children & Families, Hartford
• Gloria Ragosta, Conn. Conference of Independent Colleges, West Hartford
• Dr. Brett Rayford, Director of Adolescent Services, DCF, Hartford

20. Goals:
• Increase the percentage of foster youth who go on to
postsecondary education.
• Increase the percentage of foster youth who graduate
• Enhance the capacity of secondary schools to assist
foster youth in applying, getting accepted, and
securing financial aid.
• Enhance existing support services of Connecticut
postsecondary education institutions to better serve
foster youth.
• Facilitate discussion of the Committee's mission
among key players, including DCF, private agencies,
statewide educational agencies, selected higher
education institutions, and others

21. Connecticut
• Tuition and fees
• Room and board
• Books and tutoring
• Health insurance
*Requires students to pay
$500/yr if cost is not covered by
other grants/scholarships

22. Reasons for dropping out
• Inadequate preparation: academic and/or
“social”
• “Culture Shock”, sense of isolation, fear
• Too far from home
• Inadequate financial aid
• Lack of family and community support
• Lack of access to existing support services
• Lack of relevant support services

23. Financial Aid Options
Chafee Education and Training Vouchers
(ETV) – all states w/ = 10,000 recipients
Private scholarship expansion – 30+ local,
state and national programs
Tuition waivers and state need grants – 17+
states
State Policy Initiatives
Medicaid coverage extension to age 21
(IA, IN, WA, CO, KS, etc)
College supports for foster care students
(CA & WA legislation)
Transfer of foster care payments to college
students (HI)
Passport to College (WA) – performance
grants to colleges w/ “Viable Plans”
Targeted College Support Programs
Guardian Scholars (30+ CA & IN colleges)
Renaissance Scholars (CA), College Success
Program (WA), Fostering Scholars (WA), Foster
Care Alumni (TX), Governors Scholars (WA),
Foster Youth Success Initiative (CA CC), Linkage to
Education (CA), OFA (nationwide)
National Foster Student College Support
Conference (October/November, CA)
Advocacy by national higher education
organizations (COE/TRIO, NASFAA, NASPA,
AACC, NACADA, NSPA, Pathways to College
Network, ECS, ABA, and NCAN)
Higher Education Amendments (HEA) of 2007
(S.1642 Kennedy) = TRIO focused
23

24. Preparing for College
• High school guidance counselor
• Take the ACT or SAT
• Educational Testing Service has a directory of
practice tests for entrance exams including
the SAT, GRE and GMAT. www.ets.org

25. College Bridge Programs
• GEAR UP: College Bridge program; “Gaining
early awareness for undergraduate
programs”
• TRIO: First-generation college student
• AVID: (Advancement via individual
determination) Summer institutes (TX, FL,
CA, Chicago)

26. Choosing A College
• College visits? Trips to the library?
• CollegeNET, College View and College
Express allow you to search colleges by
state, major and tuition.
• www.collegenet.com
• www.collegeview.com
• www.collegexpress.com

27. College Cost Reduction
and Access Act
Amends the definition of an “independent student” by adding the
following three categories:*
• Student who is an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the court,
at any time when the student was 13 years of age or older
• Student who is an emancipated minor or is in legal
guardianship as determined by the court in their state of legal
residence
• Applicant is verified as an unaccompanied youth who is
homeless or at risk of homelessness and self-supporting
*Please note: The young person only needs to fit into one of the
above categories in order to be eligible to claim independent status.
Also, the act does not specify the length of time spent in foster care
or the reason for exiting foster care.

28. ETV funds
• ETV funds/OFA: Apply for $5,000/year until
age 23. You need to have been in foster care
after age 16.
• Funds can be used for: Tuition, books,
computers, school supplies, living expenses
at college, vocational or technical training
programs. .
• To learn more: ohio@statevoucher.org
1-800-585-7115

29. Additional Financial Aid
• College Access Hotline Ohio Board of
Regents 1-877-I-ATTAIN (1-877-428-8246),
Monday – Friday, between 10am – 6pm
http://regents.ohio.gov/students_families.php
• National Foster Parent Association
• Minority/Disadvantaged Scholarship Program

30. Opportunities for Connection
• Foster Care Alumni of America
www.fostercarealumni.org
• Foster Club www.fosterclub.com

31. Summer/Study Abroad
• The Rotary Foundation provides Ambassadorial
Scholarships for study abroad.
• College Work-Study often covers the cost of summer
housing.
• Summer Dental/Medical Program: is a FREE (full
tuition, housing, and meals) six-week summer
academic enrichment program that offers freshman
and sophomore college students intensive and
personalized medical and dental school preparation.

32. Resources for Professionals
• Casey Family Services www.caseyfamilyservices.org
• Annie E. Casey Foundation www.aecf.org
• Casey Family Programs www.casey.org
• National Resource Center for Youth Services www.nrcys.ou.edu
• From Foster Care to College; Supporting Independent Students:
http://www.nasfaa.org/PDFs/2007/FosterSpread.pdf
• Foster Care to College Partnership Evaluation: Program
Overview and Research Design:
http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/07-09-3901.pdf
• Connecticut Dept. of Children & Families www.ct.gov/dcf
• National Resource Center for Youth Services www.nrcys.ou.edu

33. Data Sources
• “Helping former foster youth graduate from college: Campus
support programs in California and Washington”, Chapin Hall,
2009
• “It’s My Life: Postsecondary Education and Training”, from
Casey Family Programs,2006 (www.caseylifeskills.org)
• “Supporting Success: Improving higher education outcomes for
students from foster care – A Framework for Program
Enhancement”, from Casey Family Programs, 2008
• “Improving Family Foster Care”: Findings from the Northwest
Foster Care Alumni Study”, Casey Family Programs, 2005