Foster Care Tuition Waivers How do they work

Foster Care Tuition Waivers: How do they work, who benefits, and what is missing? Liliana Hernandez, MSW & MPP Angelique Day, Ph. D, MSW 9 th Annual Education Reach for Texans Conference Denton, TX June 1, 2018 2 S

How many youth in foster care pursue post-secondary education? 80 70% 70 60 50 40 30 20% 20 5% 10 0 Desire Enroll 3 Graduate

Review of Research on Postsecondary Educational Attainment Foster Care Non-Foster Care Community College 43% 29% 19 -year olds pursuing a 4 year degree 18% 62% 25 -year olds with a bachelor’s degree 3% 24% College students who have earned a degree within 6 years of enrollment 26% 56% 7 years Up to 21 semesters 6 years 12 semesters Time to graduation 4

Challenges Faced by Youth in Care K-12 Readiness Barriers Higher Education Barriers q School/placement instability q Remedial classes, fin aid limits, Lack of awareness of fin aid programs lack of college advocates q Grade repetition, lower testing scores, higher rates of Special Education q Housing/homelessness during college breaks q Few engaged in precollege q Health issues, Substance programs/lack of internships/ Abuse/Mental Health, Learning Disabilities q Lack of counseling - financial aid and college applications q Lack of family support, Trust/Attachment issues/ Independent- survival mode q Impact of being in foster care on one’s self determination, identity formation and achieving normal developmental milestones q Few college programs are aware of 5 their support needs

Identifying Foster Care students through the FAFSA Independent Status Finding Admitted Students q FAFSA Q 53: (in section 2) on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid asks: "At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court? q FAFSA Q 54: Are you an accompanied youth who is homeless or self supporting and at risk of being homeless? Addressing Enrollment Barriers College Admission Applications ask if a student had been in foster care. (Ex. Wayne State College Application Question) q Were you in foster care on or after your 13 th birthday in the state of Michigan? Michigan child welfare agency has a data sharing agreement with universities to electronically verify if a student had been in foster care. 6

22 State Tuition Waiver Programs for Foster Youth http: //www. tipwaynestate. org/interactive-tuition- waiver-map. html 7

History of Tuition Waivers Year Implemented State 1988 Florida 1993 Texas Other Subpopulations Veterans, Coast Guard, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMT, Surviving Spouse or Child 1994 Connecticut 1999 Kentucky, Maine Teachers, Nurses 2000 Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia Blind, Deaf Students 2007 Maryland Adopted & Kinship youth 2012 Oregon 8

Number of Waivers & Cost in 2014 § Only 6 states had totals of 100 -500 waivers awarded § 10 states had less #Student s data on # of waivers. (KY, NJ, NM, WV) Cost 973 waivers Florida granted of 4, 739* eligible than 100 youth who 3, 195 received waivers. § 4 states had no State Texas $8, 389, 635 foregone tuition 488 Connecticut $4, 143, 303 353 Massachusetts 335 North Carolina $1, 928, 490 106 Maryland 47 9 Oregon $64, 130

Texas Tuition Waiver Eligibility A youth was in DFPS conservatorship at: § The day before your 18 th birthday § The day of your 14 th bday, if you are also eligible for adoption on or after that day § The day you graduated from HS or received the equivalent of a HS diploma § Enrolled in a dual credit course or other course which a HS student may earn joint HS and college credit § The undergraduate student must access the tuition and fee waiver prior to the age of 25. TX Dept of Family and Protective Services Tuition and Fee Waiver Eligibility http: //www. dfps. state. tx. us/Child_Protection/Youth_and_Young_Adults/Post 10 _Secondary_Education/college_tuition_waiver. asp

Texas Tuition Waiver Eligibility If on or after Sept 1, 2009: § The youth was adopted or § The day Permanent Managing Conservatorship was granted to a nonparent On or after June 1, 2016: § At 14 yrs old or older, the youth left DFPS Permanent Managing Conservatorship return to the legal responsibility of a parent. § At 16 yrs old or older, the youth left DFPS Temporary Managing Conservatorship to the legal responsibility of a parent 11

Texas Tuition Waiver Only State to extend eligibility to ü A child who exits TX conservatorship and returns to biological parent even after termination of parent’s rights ü Any Student must Enroll in Waiver class at any public university before 25 th birthday to access waiver ü No Age limit once the waiver is activated before age 25. Waiver can be used for graduate education. Texas https: //www. dfps. state. tx. us/Child_Protection/Youth_and_Young_Adults/Pos t_Secondary_Education/college_tuition_waiver. asp 12

Best Practices of Tuition Waivers ² Allow Part-Time Status ² Siblings also eligible (MD) ² Expand eligibility to tribal children (OR) ² Expand eligibility for adoption and guardianship cases Recommendations ² ² ² TX youth can use waiver indefinitely but must take a class by age 25 ² CT covers tuition, fees, and room & board out of state, (Up to $27, 630) 13 No age limit for youth to apply No age for eligibility (ME& WV) No time limit in foster care No restrictions on waiver use

Bi. Partisan Support of Tuition Waivers u 13 States had divided governor/legislatures: (FL, CT, MN, OK, MA, ME, RI, WV, NJ, MD, MO, OR, NM) u 13 states had a Republican governor. (CT, MN, OK, MA, RI, VA, WV, KS, AK, MD, SC, AZ, NM) u 8 states had a Democratic Governor. FL, TX, KY, NJ, NH, NC, MO, OR. (ME- Independent Gov. ) u 13 Democratic Legislatures were in place at the time of waiver implementation. u 4 states had both Rep Gov/Legis: AK, AZ, KS, VA u 4 states had both Dem Gov/Legis: TX, KY, NH, NC 14

Age & Time in Care Requirements • 2 States have no Age requirement • 6 states - be over age 16 State Age Maryland 13 (if adopted, 18 otherwise) Oregon After 16 Texas 1 day before 18 th bday • 11 states –student 18 yrs old • 10 States have no Time 15 Time in Care Be in care, or was in care for 6 months before age 16

Age for Waiver Application u 5 states require youth to apply for the Waiver prior to age 21 u 4 states allow youth to apply for the Waiver between the ages of 23 -24. u 6 states require youth to apply before age 25. u 2 states require youth to apply within 2 -3 years after graduating from HS. http: //www. tipwaynestate. org/policy-projects. html 16

Connecticut Post Secondary Education Assistance Age & Time Limit Must use the waiver by 21 st birthday And can continue to use it until age 23. Assistance includes: Tuition, fees, books, room & board equal to the cost of Youth in Foster care- Central CT State Univ- $11, 396 Annual budget for a youth is $22, 500. Average cost of tuition- $9, 180 Summer classes can be covered. Student must contribute $500 to educational costs per year. Each semester must provide documentation of enrollment/grades. 2. 0 minimum GPA CT General Assembly. Tuition Assistance for Foster and Other children https: //www. cga. ct. gov/2012/rpt/2012 -R-0067. htm 17

Minnesota Tuition Waiver Eligibility • Ward of State defined as any person under age 21 who is under the guardianship of the commissioner of human services. • An American Indian child under suspension of parental rights or termination of parental rights under the guardianship of a tribe or tribal social service agency. • If the student has attained the age of 21, and is making satisfactory progress, the person may petition the university for continuation of the waiver until the program is completed. MN State Colleges and Universities System Procedures, Chapter 5, Administration, Procedure 5. 12. 2 http: //www. minnstate. edu/board/procedure/512 p 2. html 18

Implications for Policy & Practice Many Foster Youth at Risk of losing access to Federal Pell Grants BEFORE graduation S Pell Grants expire after 12 semesters – 6 years if they do not use Pell Grants for summer classes; 2) Outcome data on program S Tuition waiver programs are often last effectiveness of Waivers are lacking dollar programs, and waiver dollars are limited in many states that offer them. 3) Waiver programs should link their S Both the Higher Education Act & the data with the National Student Chaffee Act are up for reauthorization this Clearinghouse as a cost-effective and year. There are opportunities to efficient way to address the data gap strengthen Financial Aid Policies to support the college going efforts of FY. 4) Youth in foster care take 7 yrs to S Need for effective outreach and increased graduate with a Bachelor degree, 1 funding for the Chafee ETV year longer than other low income first generation students. 1) Tuition waivers vary drastically in terms of eligibility for participation across states. 19

Citations Liliana Hernandez, Angelique Day & Michael Henson (2017): Increasing College Access and Retention Rates of Youth in Foster Care: An Analysis of the Impact of 22 State Tuition Waiver Programs. Journal of Policy Practice, DOI: 10. 1080/15588742. 2017. 1311819 Interactive Tuition Waiver Map State ETV website links http: //depts. washington. edu/fostered/ 20

Federal References Children’s Bureau Education Stability Webpage includes Guidance on Every Student Succeeds Act https: //www. childwelfare. gov/topics/systemwide/servicearray/education-services/meeting-needs/educational-stability/ Department of Education Students in Foster Care http: //www 2. ed. gov/about/inits/ed/foster-care/index. html Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth http: //calswec. berkeley. edu/files/uploads/pdf/Cal. SWEC/Ed. Right s_Providing. Effective. Financial. Aid. pdf 21

Questions? ? ? 22

Optional Federal Funding for states to Implement Foster Care Extension to 21 Chafee Legislation/Child Welfare Policy Manual: https: //www. acf. hhs. gov/cwpm/programs/cb/laws_policies/laws/cwpm/policy. jsp? id. Flag=3 23 States receive Fed & State funding to 21 (includes WI) 48 States extend Foster Care past age 18, usually for students still completing HS up to age 19. http: //www. tipwaynestate. org/policy-projects. html Casey State Policy Database: http: //www. childwelfarepolicy. org/maps/single? id=85 23

Family First Prevention Service Act • Allows youth at age 14 and older to be eligible for Chafee services • Allow states that extend foster care eligibility up to age 21 to extend assistance and services to youth who have aged out of foster care but have not yet reached age 23 • Allow youth to be eligible for Educational and Training Voucher program through age 25 (but no more than 5 years) 24 • Authorize redistribution of unexpended Chafee amounts to other states • Allows youth who age out of foster care after age 18 to qualify for Chafee if they are younger than 21, or 23 for states that have taken the foster care extension. • Children’s Bureau Information Memoranda https: //www. acf. hhs. gov/cb/res ource/im 1802

HR 3742/S 1792 Fostering Success in Higher Education Act of 2017 Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to: • $125 million a year to states/tribes establish or expand statewide initiatives that assist foster and homeless youth in enrolling and graduating college • Establishes formula grants to states based on state’s share of foster and homeless youth among all 50 states, tribes and territories with a $500, 000 minimum grant • Dedicates 70% of state grants to develop institutions of excellence committed to serving foster and homeless youth via robust support services and substantial financial assistance, in collaboration with Child Welfare and organizations serving homeless, by providing comprehensive wraparound services, hiring FT “campus coach”, and ensuring student health and mental health services • Directs 20% state grants to establish intensive, statewide transition initiatives to increase understanding, preparation and application of foster and homeless youth in college • Provides 7% of funds for technical assistance and evaluation to inform best practice/Reserves 5% funds to tribes 25

HR 3740 (115 th) Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act • The Department of Education shall require an entity to make specified assurances such as prioritizing federal work-study children and youth who are homeless or in foster care. • For purposes of income-based financial aid determinations, the bill excludes from income: (1) the value of specified vouchers for education and training, and (2) direct payments made through an extended foster care program. • For children or youth who are homeless or in foster care, colleges will only be allowed to charge them in-state tuition rate. https: //www. congress. gov/bill/115 th-congress/house-bill/3740 26

S. 1795/HR 3740 (115 th) Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 • With respect to a student's independence for purposes of financial aid, a financial aid administrator must: (1) accept a homelessness determination made by an authorized individual; and (2) make such a determination if the student cannot get documentation from a designated authority. A student determined to be independent on this basis shall be presumed independent for a subsequent award year at the same institution. • To be eligible for certain federal funds, a university must meet specified requirements related to student housing, coordination, and notice of financial assistance eligibility for homeless and foster care students. https: //www. congress. gov/bill/115 th-congress/senate-bill/1795 27

Research Findings from Studies of Postsecondary Support Programs for Youth in Care 28 S

Many postsecondary support programs and services exist, but… S Very limited evidence of effectiveness S ***Need for Evidence-Based Practices 29

Theoretical & Practical Frameworks for a Pilot Intervention to Address Foster Youth Higher Education Needs • Tinto’s Theory of Student Integration • A Patchwork of financial resources to attend college • Limited emotional support to stay in college & nowhere to spend holidays and school breaks Dropouts • Disadvantage resulting from psychosocial support gap • Lack of exposure to a wide range of career options, • Counsel on the types of education and training required to attain their goals; and • Informal social supports (Anderson & Deller, 2003;

What Does an Effective Intervention Include? In order to help students succeed academically, program should: 1. Maximize use of existing college and community resources 2. Employ effective leadership within student support services 3. Have strong backing from college administration 4. Factors for effective programs that improve college retention and graduation rates for foster youth: ü ü ü Intentional academic planning Special programs providing tailored advising Support for developing a sense of belonging on campus Shared values (Casey Family Programs, 2010; Muraskin, Lee, Wilner, & Swail, 2004; Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Financial aid Higher Education, 2015). 31

Intervention: Mission of the Transitions to Independence Program (TIP) 32

Students received. . . TIP Service Components 1 2 24 -hour crisis support and counseling Peer and Career mentoring Insert content here 3 i. Tutoring 6 Housing assistance 7 Care packages, food pantry & clothing assistance are. 8 Financial literacy and life skills Insert content here in 4 5 Scholarships/finan cial aid assistance Leadership opportunities 9 Assistance navigating community and agency supports (e. g. DHHS)are. 33

TIP Campus Program Evaluation Design Research Question: How do TIP students differ academically from FNT and TRIO students? Group 1: TIP enrolled Foster Youth (TIP) Design: Longitudinal cohort study q 52. 5% of TIP students aged out of FC without a Hypotheses: H 1: TIP academic outcomes > FNT H 2: No difference in academic outcomes between TIP and TRIO q N= 156 (enrolled Fall 2012 -Winter 2016) permanency plan Group 2: Foster Non-TIP (FNT) q N=55 (eligible, refused to participate in TIP) Criteria: Group 3 Non-Foster, low-income (TRIO) Ø “Ward of the court” on FAFSA Ø Under 23 years when first admitted q N= 449 students randomly pulled from a total of 938 to WSU TRIO eligible population enrolled at WSU between Ø Foster care status verified through 2012 -2013). data sharing agreement with MDHHS TRIO eligibility includes first generation, low-income students whose family's taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount

Intervention: Data Analysis Independent variables • Group status (Intervention students, other foster youth, and TRIO student status) • Age, gender, race, class rank, transfer status Dependent variables (Academic Outcomes) S Graduation status (dropped out vs. graduated/on track continued enrollment) 35

Findings -Table 1. Descriptive Statistics & Bivariate Analyses after Weighted by Propensity Score ALL %/Mean (SD) 0. 32 (. 01) 19. 00 (. 07) 33. 43% 66. 57% 51. 60% 29. 64% 18. 76% TIP (23. 68%) %/Mean (SD) 0. 37 (. 03) 20. 23 (. 16) 30. 07% 69. 93% 52. 29% 30. 72% 16. 99% FC-Non TIP (11. 30%) %/Mean (SD) 0. 58 (. 05) 19. 94 (. 27) 27. 07% 72. 93% 53. 86% 24. 60% 21. 53% TRIO (65. 02%) %/Mean (SD) 0. 44 (. 02) 19. 81 (. 20) 45. 64% 54. 36% 47. 97% 34. 05% 17. 98% Statistics F 3. 69 d 1. 41 3. 27 c 0. 56 Dropout rate Age Gender Male Female Race/Ethnicity Black White Others Class rank Freshman/ 71. 85% 58. 17% 84. 23% 76. 54% 6. 07 d Sophomore a SD = Standard deviation , b 14 cases with 28. 15% Junior/Senior 41. 83% 15. 77%and statistics are 23. 46% missing values were excluded from analyses. c All estimations weighted using propensity score. d p<. 05. , e p<. 001. 36

Table 2: Predictors of Dropping Out Logistic Regression Modeling OUTCOME: DROP OUT (1), SUCCESS (0) Model 1 OR (95% CI) Model 2 OR (95% CI) Treatment types TIP (Reference) 0 0 2. 23 e (1. 18 to 4. 22) 1. 96 e (1. 01 to 3. 82) . 65 (. 34 to 1. 23) . 63 (. 33 to 1. 18) Age at entry - . 97 (. 84 to. 1. 12) Gender Male (Reference) - 0 Female - . 91 (. 51 to. 1. 12) Black (Reference) - 0 White - . 87 (. 48 to 1. 56) Others - 1. 65 (. 87 to 3. 11) Non-Tip foster youth TRIO Race/Ethnicity Class rank at entry Freshmen/Sophomore - score. c 14 cases with missing values were excluded from 0 a n = 646. , b All estimations and statistics are weighted using propensity (Reference) analyses. d OR = Odds ratio, CI = Confidential interval , e p<. 05. Junior/Senior - 37 . 50 (. 24 to 1. 07)

Foster youth in TIP experienced: • Were more likely to be retained than foster youth who didn’t. • Performed better on 3 out of the 4 academic outcome variables that foster youth who didn’t participate. • TIP users were no more likely to drop out than their non-foster, 1 st generation, low income peers What components made a difference? • Psychosocial support: Resources and safety in case of crisis • Peer support/ sense of belonging: reduction of shame and isolation associated with current or prior foster care status due to support of other students with similar histories. • Access to targeted financial aid supports (elimination of holds on student financial aid accounts) 38

Which Program Components are more Effective at Promoting Retention? Table 4. TIP Student Program Descriptives by Retention Status F (df). 10 (154) ✗ 2 (df) 4. 91 (1) P<. 004 P< 0. 03 ω= 7. 39 (1) 0. 007 0. 22 4. 72 (1) 0. 03 0. 17 9. 36 (1) 0. 002 0. 25 48 (53) . 11 (1) 0. 75 0. 03 74 (56) 57 (44) 15 (60) 10 (40) N=156 Dropped Out Graduated/Continuing Number services used Mentoring Service Used No Mean (SD) 2. 9 (2. 2) N (%) 69 (63) Mean (SD) 3. 9 (2. 2) N (%) 41 (37) Yes Campus Coach 20 (43) 26 (56) No 43 (70) 18 (30) Yes Targeted Financial Aid 46 (48) 49 (52) No 36 (69) 16 (31) Yes Advising 53 (51) 51 (49) No 47 (72) 19 (29) Yes 42 (47) No Yes Counseling & Psychological 39 r = 0. 17

Program Components Descriptive Findings Table 4. TIP Student Program Descriptives by Retention Status (N=156) Variable Retention Status Statistical P-value Test Effect Size Dropped Out Graduated/Continuing N (%) ✗ 2 (df) P< r = Care Packages No 59 (67) 29 (33) 8. 23 (1) 0. 004 0. 23 Yes 30 (44) 38 (56) Tutoring 2. 00 (1) 0. 15 0. 11 No 84 (59) 59 (41) Yes 5 (38) 8 (62) IL Class 5. 57 (1) 0. 02 0. 19 No 82 (61) 53 (39) Yes 7 (33) 14 (66) Housing 4. 99 (1) 0. 03 0. 18 On Campus 41 (67) 20 (33) Off Campus 45 (49) 47 (51) 40

Intervention: Discussion of Findings • Greatest effects were observed with the campus coach, academic advising, and care package service components • Participation in all programmatic components but counseling and psychological services and tutoring had a statistically significant, positive effect on retention • • These services were the least popular, and thus we may not have had high enough enrollments in these service components to observe an effect Students who participated in 3 or more of the programmatic components were more likely to be retained than those who participated in less Why do we think we are observing this effect? • Financial aid was the most frequently used programmatic component, but in isolation does not promote retention in and of itself • One size does not fit all; students need to be able to select from an array of 41 available services offered to best meet their needs

Recommendations to Improve the Transition to Higher Education for Foster Youth 1. Financial aid assistance & support for tuition fee waivers until age 26 2. Access to housing during school year and vacations Permit youth to remain in care after age 18 or re-enter care with court emphasis on postsecondary support Access to targeted & coordinated campusbased support services (academic, financial, physical, mental health, social and emotional). Post-secondary support for students with disabilities and those in need of remediation Work collaboratively across child welfare, higher education and courts to ensure 42 achievement of these goals 3. 4. 5. 6.

Next Step for Evaluating Campus Based Programs The Problem: Since most programs serve a small # of students, it is not possible to complete a rigorous, independent evaluation of the program. The Solution: Create a common Web-Based Case Management Database that is used across college programs in the State or nationally. ü Combining data across programs allows you to show success of more students, this is necessary for a rigorous evaluation to demonstrate evidence. With this data, colleges can be more competitive to qualify and receive state, federal and philanthropic resources. ü This database allows programs to identify any weaknesses in program components, and then seek tailored technical assistance in those areas. ü The database is a powerful tool for foundations to understand the key services that students use, and how to best prioritize investments in 43 which program components yield the best outcomes.

Next Steps for Collaboration ü Consistent data collection methods & instruments ü Shareable data ü Promising program and research practices ü Centralized data retainer 44

Thank You!!! Liliana Hernandez, MSW/MPP Angelique Day, Ph. D Board Member, Virginia Family and Children’s Trust Fund Assistant Professor Executive Director, University of Washington, School of Social Work Vidya Vida Inc. dayangel@uw. edu Mslhernandez@gmail. com For more information: http: //depts. washington. edu/fostered/ 45