Helping Teens in Foster Care Transition to Adulthood
A foster care teen in SLO County shares a photo of her college acceptance letter.
Only about half of the California teens in foster care graduate from high school, according to the State Department of Education. In SLO County, however, the Department of Social Services is working to change those statistics.
An astonishing 92.5%* of teens in SLO County’s foster care system graduate from high school. That’s even higher than teens who aren’t in foster care. Thanks to efforts by the County Department of Social Services, foster care teens enter adulthood with a better chance at succeeding as adults. As high school graduates, they are more likely to earn higher wages and less likely to experience unplanned pregnancies, homelessness, and incarceration in their lifetimes.
To ensure the current and future success of foster care youth in 2017, the County Department of Social Services combined efforts of its social workers, developed close partnerships with the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, encouraged foster youth to participate in the Independent Living Program, and contracted with a college and career counselor to provide one-on-one mentoring and guidance through high school class planning and the college admissions process.
“While these services provide a strong framework for success, we are particularly proud of our innovative Transitional Age Youth Financial Assistance Program,” said County Social Services Department Director Devin Drake. “This unique program helps college-bound teens in foster care plan accordingly and achieve their dreams.”
This assistance program bridges the gap between a student’s financial aid package and their income. This includes purchasing a bicycle, so students can get to classes, covering school supplies that financial aid is not paying for, or providing short-term urgent living needs like utilities and food. Without this County program, these students would be unable to continue their education or vocational training and would be forced to drop out of college.
To access the assistance program, students must be pursuing post-high-school education, complete an application, include a budget, demonstrate how the request will benefit them, and demonstrate that they have explored all other options before requesting assistance.
As an incentive to enrolled students who are also employed, the County will provide a savings match up to $100 per month through the assistance program. Participants are provided with a mentor and/or case management support as well. Since the program’s inception, participating teens have achieved nearly a 70% college completion rate. To put that in perspective, the nationwide college completion rate is only 57%.
Two of the program participants had the following to share:
“I’m very thankful for this program because if it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t have been able to finish my CNA program and continue my education. I am very excited to see what the future has in store for me; looking towards a bright future.” (TAY-FAP participant 19 years old)
“TAY-FAP has helped me tremendously. I don’t know how I would have gotten through college without it. TAY-FAP has taught me to budget properly, plan ahead, and research! I’ve become a responsible adult and it wouldn’t have been possible without TAY-FAP helping me with my most difficult obstacles. Thank you all!” (TAY-FAP participant, 21 years old).
An astonishing 92.5%* of teens in SLO County’s foster care system graduate from high school. That’s even higher than teens who aren’t in foster care. Thanks to efforts by the County Department of Social Services, foster care teens enter adulthood with a better chance at succeeding as adults. As high school graduates, they are more likely to earn higher wages and less likely to experience unplanned pregnancies, homelessness, and incarceration in their lifetimes.
To ensure the current and future success of foster care youth in 2017, the County Department of Social Services combined efforts of its social workers, developed close partnerships with the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, encouraged foster youth to participate in the Independent Living Program, and contracted with a college and career counselor to provide one-on-one mentoring and guidance through high school class planning and the college admissions process.
“While these services provide a strong framework for success, we are particularly proud of our innovative Transitional Age Youth Financial Assistance Program,” said County Social Services Department Director Devin Drake. “This unique program helps college-bound teens in foster care plan accordingly and achieve their dreams.”
This assistance program bridges the gap between a student’s financial aid package and their income. This includes purchasing a bicycle, so students can get to classes, covering school supplies that financial aid is not paying for, or providing short-term urgent living needs like utilities and food. Without this County program, these students would be unable to continue their education or vocational training and would be forced to drop out of college.
To access the assistance program, students must be pursuing post-high-school education, complete an application, include a budget, demonstrate how the request will benefit them, and demonstrate that they have explored all other options before requesting assistance.
As an incentive to enrolled students who are also employed, the County will provide a savings match up to $100 per month through the assistance program. Participants are provided with a mentor and/or case management support as well. Since the program’s inception, participating teens have achieved nearly a 70% college completion rate. To put that in perspective, the nationwide college completion rate is only 57%.
Two of the program participants had the following to share:
“I’m very thankful for this program because if it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t have been able to finish my CNA program and continue my education. I am very excited to see what the future has in store for me; looking towards a bright future.” (TAY-FAP participant 19 years old)
“TAY-FAP has helped me tremendously. I don’t know how I would have gotten through college without it. TAY-FAP has taught me to budget properly, plan ahead, and research! I’ve become a responsible adult and it wouldn’t have been possible without TAY-FAP helping me with my most difficult obstacles. Thank you all!” (TAY-FAP participant, 21 years old).
*The California Department of Education Data Reporting Office: graduation statistics for the high school senior class of 2015/16