The Bridging Success Initiative From Foster Care to

The Bridging Success Initiative - From Foster Care to a College Degree Felicia Ganther, J. D. Stephanie Garman, MNp. S

Beginning this Journey…

Foster care 101 • Glossary of terms: – Foster Care – Aging Out – Group Home/ Congregant Care – Extended Foster Care

Arizona Children in Foster Care 2010 -2015 Number of Children in Care 19000 17592 18000 16990 Number of children 17000 15751 16000 15037 15000 14111 14314 Sep-12 Mar-13 14000 12453 13000 11535 12000 11000 10514 10707 10000 9000 Sep-10 Mar-11 Sep-11 Mar-12 Reporting Period Ending Sep-13 Mar-14 Sep-14 Mar-15

Arizona Children in Foster Care aged 13 + by Placement Type Age 13 14 15 16 17 Relative Foster Family Group Home Residential Treatment Total Percentage in Congregant Care 244 161 146 52 603 33% 261 193 179 77 710 36% 224 161 207 94 686 44% 229 193 263 114 799 47% 161 173 289 124 747 55% 42 73 85 111 311 63% 18 and older

Youth who have experienced foster care: • have significantly higher rates of absenteeism and disciplinary referrals than their peers • are more likely to perform below grade level (75% perform below grade level) • are about twice as likely to be held back in school (83% are held back by third grade) • drop out of school nearly twice as frequently (50% obtain a high school diploma/GED) • attend a four-year college at a significantly lower rate (fewer than 3% do so)

Outcomes for youth in Foster care • Without educational success, youth aging out of foster care ill-equipped to support themselves. The cost to these youth and society is extraordinary: – Over 25% experience homelessness – Over 25% spend time incarcerated – About 33% receive public assistance – Unemployment rates top 50%

Trauma in Foster care • It is impossible to be in foster care for any length of time without experiencing trauma! • The experience of trauma can create “toxic stress”

Outcomes of Trauma • Children who are exposed to trauma can experience: – Persistent fear response – Hyperarousal – Increased internalizing symptoms – Diminished executive functioning – Weakened response to positive feedback – Challenging social interactions

What is Maricopa doing to help? • Creating supportive learning environments where students receive the support they need to achieve academic success • Offering targeted outreach to youth in foster care and those who serve them to highlight educational opportunities • Providing referrals and resources for noneducation related needs that might interfere with degree completion

Challenges in our first year • Lack of documents • Confusion on FAFSA/ financial aid • Verification

For more info or a more in depth training: • Contact Stephanie Garman – 480 -731 -8093 – Stephanie. garman@domail. Maricopa. edu