Youth Aging Out: Eliminating Barriers to
College Success
LSU Family Impact Seminar Spring 2015
Angelique Day, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor
Wayne State University
College of Social Work
Angelique.day@wayne.edu
Statement of Problem
 More than 26,000 youth aged out of foster care in 2011
 In 2000, the percentage of exits due to aging out was 7 percent.
In 2011, 11 percent of the children who exited foster care aged
out.
 Only 50% of foster care youth graduate from high school within
5 years
 Foster youth are less likely to perform at grade level, twice as
likely to repeat a grade as their non-foster peers, and
 2-3 times more likely to be enrolled in special education classes
Statement of Problem
 FCY are absent from school at 2 times the rate of non-FCY
 FCY are far more likely to be suspended or expelled than their
non-foster counterparts
 These youth are at high risk for unemployment, homelessness,
incarceration, and dependence on public assistance -in part,
because of their low level of educational attainment
Review of Research on Postsecondary
Educational Attainment
19-year olds pursuing a 4 year
degree
25-year olds with a bachelor’s
degree
College students who have earned a
degree within 6 years
Foster
Care
18%
Non-Foster
Care
62%
3%
24%
26%
56%
25-34 year olds who had a least a bachelor’s
degree earned, on average, 61% more than
those with only a high school diploma or
GED
Significance of the Research
Gaps
in both high school & higher education
achievement between former foster youth and their nonfoster care peers
Student
service personnel at many post-secondary
institutions are not prepared to address the unique needs of
this population
Inherent
conflicts between societal values and child
welfare policy and practice with respect to foster youth
who have reached the age of majority
KidSpeak ®
Youth
public forum developed by Michigan’s Children
Empowers
young people to advocate on their own
behalf
Designed
to bring young people before listening panels
comprised of legislators & other public officials,
including state department leaders, to talk about issues of
concern to them
KidSpeak ®

Two KidSpeak events held as part of pre-college
programs for foster care youth at two Michigan
universities (WMU and MSU) in the summer of 2010

Participatory Action Research (N=68, 43 provided oral
testimony)

Youth asked to address two questions:
1. What do you believe are barriers foster youth face in
high school completion and college access?
2. What suggestions do you have for policymakers to
eliminate these barriers?
Results
Education Related Themes
Lack basic school-related needs (i.e. school clothes,
school supplies, books, transportation) (4)
 “…I am wearing clothes that are three years old, and I have holes in my shoes,
and kids make fun of me because we don't have any money to pay for anything.
School begins in a month and I want to get ready for school, but I can't.”
 “…I don't have a way to get to school. There should be transportation to get the
kids to school. Without transportation, students miss a lot of days of school.
How do we promote them [foster youth] to graduate if we don't give them the
resources they need to get here [to school]…”
Results
Education Related Themes

Lack of Independent living programs (6)
“Where am I going to go until college starts? What am I going to do when I
turn 18 in January and graduate in May? College doesn’t start until
September. What am I going to do all summer long? I don’t like sleeping in
cardboard boxes. It doesn’t sound fun to me. Who is going to show me how
to own a house or pay my taxes, how to fill out my bills and my paperwork? I
don’t know any of that stuff. Where am I going to go for that help? Who am I
going to turn to when I graduate to help me out? When I turn 18 the court
says, ‘goodbye, see you later, have fun, you’re an adult, figure it out yourself.’
What it should say is, ‘you need help? Come talk to us’ ”.
MSU Study
Research Question
1. Are foster care alumni enrolled in a 4-year college
more likely to drop out of college than low-income,
first generation students who had not been in foster
care?
http://www.tipwaynestate.org/uploads/1/3/8/9/1389808
5/an_examination_of_postsecondary_retention_and_graduation_among_foster_ca
re_youth.pdf
Fostering Academics Mentoring Excellence:
http://socialwork.msu.edu/outreach/foster_youth_alum
ni_svcs.php
Study Design
Longitudinal cohort study using data from the MSU
Student Information Systems Database
Sample
Target Group: 444 foster care alumni enrolled as
MSU undergraduates between 2000 and 2009
Comparison Group: stratified random sample of
378 non-foster care MSU undergraduates
Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of Foster Youth
and Non-Foster Youth Samples
Foster Care
Non-Foster Care
N
%
N
%
444
100
378
100
White
199
45
175
46
African
American
Other
186
42
134
35
59
13
69
18
Male
184
41
143
38
Female
260
59
235
62
Total
Race
Gender
Race 2= 5.51 (2), P = .06
Gender 2= 1.11 (1), P= .29
Results Summary
Descriptive Analysis

Foster care alumni are more likely to drop out before the end of
their first year (21% vs. 13%, P< .001) and prior to degree
completion (34% vs. 18%, P< .001) as compared to their nonfoster peers
Multivariate Analysis


Compared to their non-foster peers:
--Foster care alumni are significantly more likely to drop out
before the end of their first year
-- Foster care alumni are more than twice as likely to drop out
prior to degree completion
Gender and race/ethnicity do not affect these results
Implications for Policy and Practice
 Increase
clothing allowances/add school
allowance for foster parents caring for FY
 Reorganize and improve coordination of
independent living programs and re-evaluate age
restrictions on program participation
Implications for Policy and Practice
cont.

Foster care students’ needs may differ from those of their
non-foster peers (i.e. informal support)

Need campus support programs that specifically target
foster care youth to increase their retention and graduation
rates

Federal and state higher education and human service budgets
should include appropriations to support sustainability and
expansion of these targeted pre-college and college retention
programs
Recommendations to Improve the Transition
from High School to Higher Education






School stability and seamless transitions
Exposure to post-secondary opportunities
Assistance in obtaining financial aid, tutoring, and exam preparation
Financial support for tuition fee waivers until age 26
Access to housing during school year and vacations
Permit youth to remain in care or re-enter care with court emphasis on
post-secondary support
 Access to targeted services (academic, financial, mental health, social
and emotional).
 Post-secondary support for students with disabilities
 Work Collaboratively to ensure achievement of these goals
What has MI Done? State Level Policy
Reactions
 In July of 2011, the state's consent decree was revised to prioritize the
educational needs of children in foster care.
 September 2012 1st annual Fostering Futures fundraiser sponsored by
MI Depts. Human Services & Treasury. Raised $187,000 for private
scholarships for foster youth. Administered through MET program
(not age specific)
 Chafee resources ($1.8 million) were appropriated in the state FY 2012
budget to provide contracts for 7 Michigan colleges and universities
to adopt college access and retention programs. (These programs have
been in operation since Oct. 2012)
 $750,000 appropriation TANF $ to support post-secondary
scholarships for FCY in FY 2014 budget (those in care on or after age
13)
Transition to Independent Program
(TIP)
at Wayne State University
http://tipwaynestate.org
WSU’s TIP Program: What do we offer?
•
•
•
•
•
•
24 hour crisis support
• Employment assistance
Peer to peer mentoring
• Student Disability Services
Career based mentoring
• Health care services
Tutoring services
• Community activities
Academic Advising
• Financial literacy
Scholarships/Financial Aid
• Life Skills course
assistance
• Leadership opportunities
• Counseling (group/individual)
• Housing assistance
• Assistance with navigating community supports from agencies
like the Michigan Department of Human Services programs
WSU Budget
• $113,000 DHS Grant per year (campus coach , ER fund +
career mentoring contract)
• $100,000 WSU OFA
• $25,000 WSU Office Provost Retention Fund
• $7800 WSU LC Grant
• $28,000 WSU SSW College (1 GRA)
• $9780 WSU SSW (12.5% course buy out) Director
• Inkind: WSU SSW: 2 interns 16 hours/wk), 2 work study
students (10 hrs/wk)
• $25,000 community donations (food pantry, care
packages, dress for success, other)
$308,580 Annual Budget
$4060/per student
Results
TIP Program
• Year 1 (n=104) retention: 45.5%
- 51% CAN vs. 30% unsub CAN (p< .02)
-Permanency status (guardianship,
adoption, vs. long-term fc) (P> .05)
• Year 2 (n=76) retention: 69.7%
• 1st year retention rates WSU as a whole: 70%
• WSU has HBC status
Publications and Resources
• Riebschleger, J., Day, A., & Damashek, A. (2015). Foster care youth share
stories of trauma before, during, and after placement: Youth Voices for
Building Trauma-Informed Systems of Care. Journal of Aggression,
Maltreatment & Trauma, 24 (3). 1-22.
• Day, A., Somers, C., Smith-Darden, J. & Yoon, J. (2015). Understanding
cross-system communication in the promotion of education well-being of
foster care youth: Recommendations for a national research, practice and
policy agenda. Children and Schools, 37 (1). 54-62. doi:
10.1093/cs/cdu027
• Day, A. (2014). Education and training vouchers. In L. Cousins (Ed.),
Encyclopedia of Human Services and Diversity. (Vol. 5, pp. 431-433).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483346663.n188
Publications and Resources
• Day, A., Brin, C., & Toro, P. (2014). Federal Pell Grant lifetime limit and its effect
on unaccompanied homeless and former foster care youth. Wayne State University
Policy and Practice Brief. Issue 5. Retrieved from
http://www.tipwaynestate.org/uploads/1/3/8/9/13898085/wsussw_policybrf_issu05_pllgrntlmt3.pdf
• Day, A., & Pennefather, M. (2014, June). Maltreatment as a predictor of college
retention in adopted, foster care and guardianship youth. The Roundtable, 17 (2).P.
6-7. A publication of the National Resource Center for Adoption, USDHHS,
Children’s Bureau.
• Day, A., Edwards, H., Pickover, S., & Leever, M. (2013). When does
Confidentiality become an impediment rather than a pathway to meeting the
educational needs of students in the foster care system? Journal of Social Work
Values and Ethics, 10 (2). 36-47.
• Day, A. & Preston, M. (2013). Re-evaluating the Government’s Role in Parenting
Older Foster Care Youth: An Analysis of the Fostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. U.C. Davis Journal of Juvenile Law & Policy, 17
(1). 1-28.
Publications and Resources
• Day, A., Dworsky, A., & Feng, W. (2013). A Discrete Time Survival
Analysis of the Relationship Between Foster Care Placement and the Rate
of Graduation from a Four-Year University. Journal of Research in Higher
Education, 19. Retrieved from http://www.aabri.com/rhej.html
• Day, A., Riebschleger, J., Dworsky, A., Damashek, A., Fogarty, K. (2012).
Maximizing Educational Opportunities For Youth Aging Out Of Foster
Care: Engaging Youth Voice In Partnership For Social Change. Children
and Youth Services Review, 34 (5). 1007–1014.
• Day, A., Dworsky, A., Fogarty, K., & Damashek, A. (2011). An
Examination of Retention and Graduation among Foster Care Youth
Enrolled in a Four-Year University. Children and Youth Services Review,
33 (11). 2335–2341.
• Kirk, R., & Day, A. (2011). Increasing college access for youth aging out
of foster care: Evaluation of a summer bridge program for foster youth
transitioning from high school to college. Children and Youth Services
Review, 33 (7). 1173–1180.
Publications and Resources
• Day, A. (2011, Spring). Foster Youth Alumni Services Program: Promoting
Pathways to College Access and Retention of Youth Who Have Aged Out
of Care. American Psychological Association Section on Child
Maltreatment Newsletter, 16 (1). P. 3-4.
• Day, A. (2009). Coming Full Circle: From child victim to child care
professional. In Brown, W. & Seita, J. (eds.). Growing Up In The Care of
Strangers. p. 27-38. Tallahassee, FL.: William Gladden Foundation.
• Day, A. (Feb. 2006). The power of informal support: A personal account
of mentoring and resilience. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 14 (4). 196198.
Questions?