Supporting School Proximity:
Requirements, Strategies and
State Examples
NAEHCY National Conference
November 6, 2011
 Collaboration between ABA, Casey Family
Programs, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Stuart
Foundation, in conjunction with the Juvenile Law
Center and Education Law Center.
 A national technical assistance resource and
information clearinghouse on legal and policy
matters affecting the education of children and
youth in out-of-home care.
 Website: www.ambar.org/LegalCenter
 Listserv, Conference Calls, Publications,
Searchable Database
Outline for Presentation
 Fostering Connections Act and
Supporting School Proximity
 Sacramento County Foster Youth
Services Program, School Connect
 Tools and Resources
Fostering Connections to Success
and Increasing Adoptions Act of
2008
 Amends Title IV (Parts B and E) of the
Social Security Act
 Broad-reaching amendments to child
welfare law; requires court oversight
 Important provisions promoting
education stability and enrollment for
youth in care
 Changes child welfare law, but cannot be
fully realized without collaboration from
education system
Appropriateness and Proximity
 Living placement takes into account
the appropriateness of the current
educational setting and the
proximity to the school.
42 U.S.C.A. 675(1)(G)(i)
School Stability Requirements, cont
 Ensure child remains in same school unless
not in the child’s best interest.
42 U.S.C.A. 675(1)(G)(ii)
 Federal reimbursement allowability for school
transportation. 42 U.S.C.A. 675(4)(A).
 If not in the best interest to remain,
immediate and appropriate enrollment in new
school, with records.
42 U.S.C.A. 675(1)(G)(ii)
Proximity is not always “easy”
“[t]he title IV-E agency is vested with the
responsibility for making individual placement
decisions on a case-by-case basis on behalf of
a child in foster care. As such, we realize that
the agency will be balancing the child’s needs
for proximity to the family, the available foster
care resources, along with the appropriateness
of the child’s current educational setting,
among other things.”
(July 2010 Program Instruction)
Benefits of Proximity
 Improves transition, reunification
 Increases connection with community and
improves community support for the child
(family members, coaches, teachers, and
church members)
 Improves quality of school experience (i.e.
extracurriculars)
 Saves time and money for child welfare and
education agencies
 Reduce commuting time for child
Supporting Proximity
 Using Technology to find placements
 GIS mapping (Illinois, Louisiana)
 Other Programs (Sacramento)
 Increasing Neighborhood Placement
Options
 GIS mapping (Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois)
 Community-based recruitment (Arizona, AECF,
San Diego)
 School-based recruitment (Vermont, Baltimore,
San Francisco)
Sacramento, California Foster
Youth Services Program
•Foster Focus
•School Connect
Foster Focus and School Connect:
Improving School Stability and Educational Outcomes
for Foster Youth
Virginia D’Amico, Project Specialist
Sacramento County Office of Education
Foster Youth Services
Foster Focus: Schools Screen
Foster Focus: Child Record Snapshot Screen
School Connect: Search Screen 1 of 4
School Connect: Search Screen 2 of 4
School Connect: Search Screen 3 of 4
School Connect: Search Screen 4 of 4
School Connect: Search Results Screen
School Connect: Home/Location Screen
School Connect: Home/Location Screen Detail 1 of 2
School Connect: Home/Location Screen Detail 2 of 2
School Connect: Parents Screen
School Connect: Schools Screen
School Connect: Schools Screen Detail
School Connect: Certification Screen
School Connect: Certification Screen Detail
School Connect: Experience/Willing Screen
School Connect: Experience/Willing Screen Detail 1 of 2
School Connect: Experience/Willing Screen Detail 2 of 2
School Connect: Home Photos Screen
School Connect: CPS Notes Screen
Tools and Resources
Legal Center for Foster Care and
Education Resources
www.ambar.org/LegalCenterMATERIALS
 Data and Information Sharing (Manual
and Tools)
 McKinney-Vento and Fostering
Connections Overlap Series
 Fostering Connections Toolkit
 State Law Chart and AFCP Chart
 Searchable Database
Blueprint for Change: Education
Success for Children in Foster Care
 8 Goals for Youth
 Benchmarks for
each goal indicating
progress toward
achieving education
success
 National, State, and
Local Examples
Endless Dreams
Endless Dreams Video & Curriculum—Casey Family
Programs
•
These practice-oriented tools were designed to support
educational advocates, education specialists, education liaisons,
CASA volunteers, child welfare professionals, and others that
assist youth in care with their educational needs.
•
This curriculum was developed to educate educators
about the unique educational needs of youth in
foster care.
•
Access to the curriculum requires participation in
a certified trainer of trainers program.
For free videos, and information about Endless Dreams,
contact contactus@casey.org
Contact Information
Kristin Kelly - ABA Center on
Children and the Law, Legal Center
for Foster Care and Education
Kristin.Kelly@AmericanBar.Org
Virginia D’Amico