Preparing Foster Youth for College CSU Counselors

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Preparing Foster Youth for College CSU
Counselors Conference September 2008

• Presented by (your name and title here)

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The Numbers Show

• Only 15 of youth in foster care are likely to be
  enrolled in college prep courses during high
  school compared to 32 of all students.
• Only about 20 of former foster youth go on to
  college compared to about 60 of all high school
  seniors.
• Only 3 will eventually graduate from college as
  compared to about 27 of the general adult
  population.
• Over 70 of youth in foster care report that they
  desire to go to college.

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Common Barriers to College

• K-12 school and placement instability
• Academic/learning gaps
• Lack of educational advocacy
• Low high school graduation rates
• Records transfer and confidentiality issues
• High rate of homelessness after emancipation
• Long term effects of abuse and neglect

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College Completion Rates 6 Years Post Enrollment

• Overall all students 52
• Low socio-economic status 44
• Hispanic students 40
• First generation college students 43
• African American students 38
• GED completers 27
• Independent students 22
• From foster care 20

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Educational Resources

• On-campus support programs such as the Guardian
  Scholars, Renaissance Scholars, CME Society,
  Promise Scholars, ACE Scholars, Linkage to
  Education and the Educational Opportunity Program
  (EOP) can provide services.
• California Community College Foster Youth Success
  Initiative identifies a trained and supported
  a trained financial aid counselor at every
  community college to serve students from foster
  care.
• Foster Youth Services- Point person designated
  school district to track school records and
  advocate for school stability.

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Community Resources

• Independent Living Program
• Educational Liaison
• Community Based Organization
• California Youth Connection (CYC)
  www.calyouthconn.org
• Casey Family Programs
• San Diego County Office of Education
• Child Abuse Prevention Foundation (San Diego)

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Support Services May Include

• Outreach Recruitment
• Admissions assistance
• Financial assistance
• Housing assistance
• Orientation to college life
• (i.e. EOP Summer Bridge)
• Academic advising and monitoring
• Counseling and support

• Mentorship opportunities
• Life skills workshops
• Employment opportunities
• Social and quarterly celebrations
• Post-graduation career planning and
  assistance
• Student Drop-In Center

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Foster Youth Scholarship Programs

• Foster A Dream (Bay Area)
• Fostering Futures (Bay Area)
• Larkin Street (Bay Area)
• Orphan Foundation of America (National)
• Orangewood Childrens Foundation (Orange County)
• Silicon Valley Childrens Fund YES Scholars
• United Friends of the Children (Los Angeles
  County)
• Child Abuse Prevention Fund (San Diego County)
• Board of Governors Fee Waiver- BOG (Community
  Colleges)

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California Student Aid Commission California
Chafee Grant Program

• This is a federally funded program administered
  through the California Student Aid Commission.
• Gives up to 5000 to eligible former foster youth
  to use for career and technical training or
  college courses at California Community Colleges,
  Cal State Universities and University of
  California campuses, etc.

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California Student Aid Commission California
Chafee Grant Program
www.chafee.csac.ca.gov
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What You Can Do

• Connect with the Foster Youth Services (FYS)
  liaison in your school district or the Foster
  Youth Success Initiative at the community
  colleges.
• Identify foster youth at your school and advocate
  for school stability (for foster youth to remain
  in the same school K-12).
• Prepare and encourage your students to pursue
  higher education and track their progress
  closely.
• Advise students to complete the A-G requirements
  and get them on the college track early.
• Find out more information about the county
  independent living program and the resources they
  offer.

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This presentation will be available on the web!
Visit www.calstate.edu/fosteryouth for specific
programs available to foster youth at the 23
California State University campuses.
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CSU Foster Youth Support ProgramsContacts List
Cal State Bakersfield Keith Powell,
Director Educational Support Services 9001
Stockdale Highway Bakersfield, CA
93311-1099 [phone] kfpowell_at_csub.edu Cal
State Chico Joshua Whittinghill, EOP
Advisor\ Renaissance Scholars 400 West First
Street Chico, CA 95329-0710 (530)
898-6831 jwhittinghill_at_csuchico.edu Cal State
Dominguez Hills Dr. William Franklin,
Director Educational Opportunity Program 1000 E.
Victoria Street Carson, CA 90747 (310)
243-2828 wfranklin_at_csudh.edu Cal State East
Bay Kevin Bristow, Coordinator Renaissance
Scholars Program 25800 Carlos Bee
Boulevard Hayward, CA 94542-3056 (510)
885-4426 Kevin.bristow_at_csueastbay.edu Cal State
Fresno Kizzy Lopez, Coordinator Renaissance
Scholars Program 5150 N. Maple Ave., M/S/ JA
62 Fresno, CA 93740-8026 [phone]
kizzyl_at_csufresno.edu
Cal State Fullerton Grace Johnson,
Director Guardian Scholars Program P.O. Box
6828 Fullerton, CA 92834 [phone] gjohnson_at_f
ullerton.edu Cal State Long Beach Andy
Espinoza, Director Educational Opportunity
Program 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA
90840 [phone] aespinoza_at_csulb.edu Cal
State Monterey Bay Berj Amir, Retention
Advisor Educational Opportunity Program 100
Campus Center, Bldg. 47 Seaside, CA
93955-8001 [phone] Berj_amir_at_csumb.edu Cal
State Northridge Jose Luis Vargas,
Director Educational Opportunity Program 1811
Nordoff St. Northridge, CA 91330 (818)
677-4151 Jose.luis.vargas_at_csun.edu Cal State
Sacramento Dr. Joy Salvetti Wolf,
Director Guardian Scholars Program 6000 J.
Street, Sacramento Hall 259 Sacramento, CA
95819-6016 [phone] salvettiwolfe_at_csus.edu
Cal State San Bernardino Tristan Garcia,
Coordinator EOP Foster Youth Program 5500
University Parkway San Bernardino, CA 92407 (909)
880-5042 tgracia_at_csusb.edu Cal State San
Marcos Jim Mickelson, Director ACE Scholars 333
South Twin Oaks Valley Road San Marcos, CA
92096 [phone] jsm_at_csusm.edu Cal State
Stanislaus Wanda Bonnell, Coordinator Promise
Scholars 801 West Monte Vista Ave. Turlock, CA
95382 [phone] wbonnell_at_csustan.edu Cal
Poly Pomona Koji Uesugi, Interim Executive
Director Renaissance Scholars 3801 West Temple
Ave. Pomona, CA 91768 [phone] kmuesugi_at_csup
omona.edu Humboldt State University Adrienne
Colegrove-Raymond Academic Support Programs/EOP 1
Harpst Street Arcata, CA 95521 (707)
826-4791 abc1_at_humboldt.edu San Diego State
San Diego State University Josephine Mojica,
Assistant Director Guardian Scholars Program 5500
Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-4735 (619)
594-0140 mojica_at_mail.sdsu.edu San Francisco
State University Xochitl Sanchez-Zarama,
Director Guardian Scholars Program 1600 Holloway
Ave. San Francisco, CA 94132-4028 [phone] xv
sz_at_sfsu.edu San Jose State University Connie
Hernandez-Robbins, Director CME (Connect,
Motivate, Educate) Society One Washington
Square San Jose, CA 95192-0031 (408)
924-1089 Conne.Hernandez-Robbins_at_sjsu.edu CSU
Office of the Chancellor Jenny Vinopal, Assistant
Director Foster Youth Programs 401 Golden Shore,
6th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802 (562)
951-4734 jvinopal_at_calstate.edu
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