Improving Educational Outcomes for Foster Kids

When a child is struggling in school, and grades are slipping, who is there to notice? If a child needs access to special education classes, or other school-based services, who usually speaks up for them? If a child is disciplined at school for one reason or another, who is usually called first? Parents . . . the primary thing foster children are lacking. Without that stable, consistent and deliberate presence in their lives, foster children often slip through the cracks when it comes to getting the education they both need and deserve.

Where is the state, you might be saying, if foster kids have these needs that determine their success -- or too often, failure -- in school? With over 15,000 children in King County, WA, under the state's protection (either in foster care or other supervised placements), suffice it to say that the state has its hands full. Social workers carry large numbers of children on their caseloads and are primarily concerned with meeting safety and placement needs, as well as maintaining a child's physical and mental health . . . and those should be primary concerns. However, with lots of kids to look out for and lots of needs to meet, education is too often placed at the bottom of "to-do" lists.

Treehouse is working to change that. Founded in 1988, Treehouse firmly embraces the on-going mission of "giving foster kids a childhood . . . and a future." By listening to the wants, hopes and dreams of foster children, we're uniquely committed to helping these kids attain self-esteem, confidence and their fullest potential. With six distinct education and enrichment programs, Treehouse is equipped to be a stable presence in the lives of these kids . . . lives that have often been marked by abuse and neglect. Education is a priority at Treehouse, and we firmly believe that with a little encouragement and the right tools, foster kids will one day be able to achieve the same successes as their non-foster peers.

The Treehouse Educational Advocacy program was created in 2001 to be a tangible, stable presence in kids' lives and to help social workers, families, and foster kids achieve educational success when success hasn't seemed possible before. The Educational Advocacy program provides crucial educational services for school-age foster children by actively speaking up for their needs since these children often have no one else to advocate for their best academic interests. Treehouse Advocates have the precise tools, knowledge and experience to effectively advocate for each child's specific needs within the local school systems. And, Advocates willingly share their knowledge – training caseworkers, foster parents, and youth to be successful advocates as well. Conveniently, Treehouse Advocates are located right in state Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) offices, so that they can work closely with social workers and always be up-to-date on exactly what's happening in a child's life.

The goals of the Educational Advocacy program are simple: to increase academic performance, improve attendance and access to services, and to decrease disciplinary programs for students in foster care. Our advocates help students access necessary programs, such as special education, and advocate for them at discipline hearings, helping keep them in school. They bring schools and families together to develop clear education plans that make students, caregivers and teachers more accountable for a child's educational outcomes. Last but certainly not least, we train caregivers, and students themselves, to be effective educational advocates. In 2003 alone, Educational Advocacy helped nearly 100 youth in foster care succeed in school!

With only 34% of youth in Washington state foster care graduating from high school, we find ourselves in what can only be called a crisis situation. Systemic changes to the education and foster care systems are hard to make, and often take years to implement. However, Treehouse has found an effective way to address this crisis in education head-on. Educational Advocacy will keep working as long as it takes to make both systemic changes and improve academic outcomes for kids in care . . . one child at a time.

Abbe Votaw is Drive Coordinator for Treehouse. For more information about Treehouse Educational Advocacy, or other Treehouse programs, please contact Abbe Votaw, Treehouse Mobilization and Drive Coordinator, at (206) 267-5116 or abbe@treehouseforkids.org

This article is in the public domain and can be freely copied and used in trainings as handouts at parent and community meetings, and in creating your school or district programs. (Please cite all sources of materials you use.)