Tag Archives: Aging Out

Michigan College Support Guide for Foster Care Alumni

This guide is for by anyone who is interested in learning more about programming and scholarship support resources on Michigan’s higher education campuses. This includes, but is not limited to:

●   Youth and alumni of foster care

●   DHS case managers and education planners

●   Local College Access Network coordinators

●   Foster parents and caregivers

●   High school counselors and college advisors

Includes: Ferris State, Michigan State, University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. http://www.detroitcollegepromise.com/fostercare.pdf

Meeting the Educational Needs of Students in the Child Welfare System: Lessons Learned from the Field

July 2012, Advocates for Children of New York: Over the last decade, child welfare agencies and advocates have begun to recognize that the students they serve need access to greater educational opportunities, and that education is critically important to child wellbeing, permanency planning and a successful transition to adulthood. In particular, best practices research has consistently identified education advocacy as an effective strategy to improve school stability and educational outcomes for this population of vulnerable youth. This report offers insights from one program, called Project Achieve, which pairs Advocates for Children of New York (“AFC”), a non-profit that provides education advocacy to low-income students in New York City, with local foster care and preventive services agencies. The report explains how Project Achieve works and examines its long-term impact on the children and families served by these agencies, the people who work there and the city’s child welfare system itself. Link to Report

Improving the Economic Security of Children in Foster Care and Young People Who are Transitioning from Foster Care

July 9, 2012, State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center: This brief discusses ways that advocates can help foster children and youth who aged out of foster care access critical public benefits including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the School Lunch Program, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Though not the only available benefits, improving access to these initiatives offers real potential to improve children’s lives. Link to Brief