The BUILD Initiative has a resource collection featuring written resources and webinars related to cross-system collaboration between child welfare and early childhood to improve outcomes for young children and their families. 

This Child Welfare Information Gateway factsheet is designed for young people who have experienced foster care to learn why campus support programs are important, the types of supports they offer, and how to find them. It was developed in partnership with young people with lived experience in foster care who have used campus support programs.  

For information on how state policies can support postsecondary education for students with foster care experience, see JBAY & FAAN's Building Bridges report. 

For advocates looking to support youth in foster care plan for and pursue postsecondary education and training, see these tips from Journey to Success and Youth Law Center.

To see a full state-by-state list of college-based support programs for youth with foster care experience, visit the National Research Collaborative for Foster Alumni & Higher Education’s Campus Based College Support Program Guide. 

FosterClub’s “Permanency Pact” tool is designed to create a formalized process to connect youth in foster care with a supportive adult who has been identified by the youth and willing to commit to a lifelong relationship with the youth. The pact offers 45 different types of supports that adults may consider committing to, including educational assistance such as serving as a tutor, educational advocate, or as a support to help with college applications, finding financial aid, and visiting college campuses. 

Fostering Success Coaching is designed for professionals who are working with students and youth who have experienced foster care or adverse childhood experiences. The Fostering Success Coach Model was developed within the Seita Scholars Program, a campus support program for students from foster care at Western Michigan University. The model was developed in 2008 and evolved over time with input from students who shared their experiences of attending college after foster care involvement. In 2013, the “FS Coach Training,” which teaches professionals the Fostering Success Coaching Model, was piloted with over 50 professionals in Michigan; since then, over 1,000 professionals across the country have been trained as Fostering Success Coaches.

Friends of the Children is based on the premise that having a long-term relationship with a consistent and caring adult is the most important factor in overcoming childhood adversity. “Friends” are full-time, paid professional mentors who work with 8-10 youth for 3-4 hours each week from kindergarten through graduation. The program partners with community organizations, schools, and foster care agencies to identify children aged four to six who are eligible to participate. It also incorporates trauma-informed approaches to working with children and caregivers.  

Attendance Works has various resources on increasing high school attendance. - including template Success Plans and promising mentorship models.

There are various federal programs that might be available to support youth at-risk of dropping out of school, including the TRIO Programs and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). 

The National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) offers a wide range of resources and services to schools, districts, regional agencies, and states to improve graduation rates.  

In Kentucky, the Truancy Diversion Program uses a multidisciplinary team to assist students at risk of being charged with truancy because of too many unexcused absences. The team consists of judges, court staff, and school personnel who help students improve attendance and successfully engage in their educational experience.

In Washoe County, Nevada, Achievements Unlocked matches students in foster care with tutors and educational advocates, resulting in more students on track to graduate. This multidisciplinary team model changes the educational trajectory of students in foster care by providing advocacy, tutoring, mentoring, and case management to high school-aged foster youth. In addition to being paired with a tutor who comes directly to the foster home, each youth is also paired with an Educational Advocate (EA) to ensure educational services and interventions match the youth’s needs. The EAs guide and motivate foster youth and work closely with school educators and other professionals involved with the youth. This approach helps avoid repeating coursework and strengthens the odds for successful high school completion, whether it be a standard or high school equivalent diploma. The program supports youth to graduate high school and be prepared for post-secondary opportunities, whether that is working, college or a vocational program.

The Treehouse - Graduation Success Program in Washington State supports foster youth high school students through high school graduation. In this program, Education Specialists and Treehouse-trained mentors each support a caseload of about 20 high school students. They meet weekly with youth to coach them in education planning, building self-advocacy and problem-solving skills, and to support each youth in setting and making progress towards personally meaningful goals. The Education Specialist also ensures that students have access to needed resources, guide youth as they explore career options and map out their plans through high school graduation and beyond.  

Kids In School Rule (KISR!) is a multi-system collaboration between Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS), Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Best Point Education & Behavioral Health, and the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati. KISR! provides a holistic web of supports to ensure the educational stability and success of students under JFS custody attending CPS using data-driven interventions. The partnership provides a host of supports to students in foster care including child welfare agency-based education specialists who liaison with caseworkers and school building based foster care liaisons. The education specialists use real-time data to track students’: attendance, discipline, grades, standardized test results, and graduation progress. The most recent data analyzed shows a decrease in disciplinary referrals. 

This program, piloted in Jefferson County, Colorado, was launched in 2021 to address the low graduation rate of students living in foster care. In this evidence-based intervention, specialists hired by the school district check in weekly with students in foster care, ensure that caregivers and caseworkers have timely information about students’ educational progress, and consult with teachers on supporting students’ success in trauma-informed ways. Students participating in the program demonstrated statistically significant improvements- including an increased likelihood for students to graduate with their class and fewer suspensions.  

DE emphasizes the presumption for students to remain in their school of origin; allows for participants to elaborate on the various factors and considerations including special education; also notes immediate enrollment if school change is needed based on B.I.D. 

Keeping Foster and Kin Parents Supported and Trained (KEEP): KEEP provides evidence-based support and skill enhancement to foster and kinship caregivers of youth in foster care. The program supports  families by promoting child well-being and preventing placement breakdowns. Foster and kin caregivers are assigned to a group with a trained group leader and participate in an evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum over 16 weeks that is tailored to the group’s needs. 

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