Education and Foster Youth

For children and youth in foster care, education has the potential to be a positive counterweight to abuse, neglect, separation, impermanence, and instability. Studies have shown that education is a significant factor in determining the success of youth as they exit the foster care system and beyond.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• 58 percent of youth in foster care had earned a high school diploma by age 19. (Midwest study)
• Children and youth in out-of-home care experience an average of one or two placement changes per year.
• Students in foster care score 16 to 20 percentile points below others in statewide standardized tests (Washington state study).
• Only about 3 percent obtained a bachelor's degree or higher by ages 23 and 24.

Please see the PDF document for important notes and sources. Information provided by the National Foster Care Month Partnership.

Additional resources on the education of foster youth include:

• The National Legal Center on Foster Care and Education
• The National Workgroup on Foster Care and Education

MEMBER PROJECT PROFILES

Fostering Healthy Connections through Peer Mentoring

The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), in partnership with FosterClub, has secured funding from the New York Life Foundation to launch a three-year initiative, Fostering Healthy Connections. It’s a unique peer mentoring program in which former foster youth mentor children and youth currently in the foster care system in order to develop healthy connections to: improve their educational and behavioral outcomes and strengthen their interpersonal relationships.