We are sounding the alarm! Foster youth need your help to succeed in school. Even before COVID, children in care have had difficulties reaching academic milestones. You may be wondering why that is. How could children who are being managed in care struggle so greatly? Well, let us tell you what is going on.
Moving Delays
Foster care varies greatly between states, counties, and different foster care organizations. Some children in care do not have to move schools when they enter care. But the majority do and they placed in different homes often.
While it may not seem like a big deal, education and classroom goals can vary dramatically. The nonprofit Boys and Girls Aid cites:
A child entering foster care will likely live in more than four homes during the first year of care. It is common for children who grow up in foster care to move more than 15 times. Each move can mean falling further behind in school and having to make new friends
Having a safe home is critical but the amount of moves each child experiences pushes them further behind in school.
The Digital Divide
A secondary source of stress is access to computers and the internet. The organization iFoster finds that only 5% of rural foster youth and 21% of urban foster youth have access to a computer at home.
How are we expecting foster youth to succeed in school during COVID or any other time, when they don’t have the tools needed. Technology isn’t just important for academic growth, it is important for developing social skills, and future job skills.
How YOU can Help
Foster youth need help to succeed in school. Less than 50% will finish high school or obtain a GED, with 15% entering college and only 3% finishing, this is a travesty!
The fastest way you can help is by donating to programs that support foster youth academically. Foster Love – Together We Rise offers the largest scholarship fund for foster youth in the county. Making a monetary donation to something like this helps change the narrative. It means more foster youth have support and it will increase graduation rates over time.
Another way to help is by becoming a mentor through CASA or another local organization. This allows you to lend your time and help support foster youth directly with tutoring and social support.
Our third suggestion is to donate technology directly to local foster agencies. If you are upgrading your computer or tablet, make a call to your local agency and ask if they will take your tangible donation.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, it is imperative that we as a community give foster youth the help they need to succeed in school. We can not continue to allow students in care to fall behind.
If you want to help sponsor a child in foster care’s school supplies, CLICK HERE.
