At a gathering of state and federal officials in the U.S. Capitol this summer, former foster youth Ivy Smith described the rocky path she traveled through higher education to earn three degrees from Boise State University. She recalled the foster mom who … Read More
Foster Youth
Foster Care Education Outcomes: New Research Challenges the 3% Myth
For years, it was common to hear that only 3% of young people in foster care graduate from college. That statistic — drawn from small, decades-old studies — shaped how the public, policymakers and even students themselves thought about foster care … Read More
Federal Update: Summary of New Federal Joint Guidance to Support Students in Foster Care
The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education created a comprehensive summary explaining the recent joint guidance released by the U.S. Department of Education & Children’s Bureau. The guidance aims to help states and localities implement federal laws to promote school … Read More
Equitable Access to Transportation Advisory Council Releases 10 Key Recommendations to Advance Youth Transportation Equity
The Equitable Access to Transportation Advisory Council (EATAC) today announced 10 key recommendations to improve transportation access for America’s 54 million students, following the release of a comprehensive survey highlighting significant gaps in youth transportation services. The results of the survey, … Read More
Navigating Foster Care: How Parental Drug Use and Caregiver Attitudes Shape Children’s Mentalization Processes—an Exploratory Longitudinal Follow-up Study
Introduction Foster care is government-subsidized and -regulated temporary care for children who have been removed from their families for reasons of abuse and neglect. Children can be placed either in family or residential care. While family foster care includes arrangements … Read More
Instability in Foster Care: How Transitions Into and Out of Foster Care Relate to School Discipline
The goal of the foster care system is to protect children from maltreatment, neglect, and abuse by removing them from unsafe home environments to temporarily place them in family-like settings until a safe, permanent home is found (U.S. Department of … Read More
Your Case, Your Rights: Your Guide To Exercising Self-Advocacy
Your Case, Your Rights: Companion Guide Step 1: Believing in Your Rights Practicing Self-Empowerment Activities When we were talking with current and former foster youth about creating this guide, a common theme we heard was foster youth needed to believe … Read More
On the Threshold of Change
About the On the Threshold of Change Report As youth grapple with so many new crises in our current world, how may we harness strategic foresight to create better and more hopeful outcomes for young adults exiting foster care so they can … Read More
Streamlining the New SNAP Time Limit Exemption for Young People With Experience in Foster Care
By providing benefits to purchase food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is vital to supporting the nutrition, health, and well-being of young adults who are exiting foster care. Even so, too many of these eligible young adults miss out … Read More
Parenting Foster Kids with Challenging Behaviors
Often, foster kids have come into care specifically because they have experienced loss, abuse, or neglect. Those experiences and other kinds of trauma that may have occurred in their home, including being removed from their birth family, can and often … Read More