SB 12: IMPROVING COLLEGE OUTCOMES FOR FOSTER YOUTH THROUGH BETTER ACCESS TO THE PELL GRANT FEBRUARY 14, 2017 1
AGENDA Introductions Review of educational outcomes of youth in foster care Provisions of Senate Bill 12 How you can help Q & A 2
WHY DO FOSTER YOUTH EXPERIENCE POOR ACADEMIC OUTCOMES? Children and youth in foster care are four Over one in five Placement changes High rates times more likely youth in foster disrupt their of disability to change schools care has a disability, education in a given school almost three times year than other the rate of the students. general population Poor school quality 15 percent of children and youth in foster care attend the lowest performing 10 percent of 3 schools in California, as compared to just 10 percent of the general population
TOGETHER, THESE EXPERIENCES RESULT IN SERIOUS ACADEMIC DELAYS 100% 11% 15% 90% 24% 23% 35% 13% 80% 17% 50% 70% 27% 28% 60% % of students who Far below basic scored at each of five Below basic 32% 50% proficiency levels at the Basic California Standards Test 40% in English Language Arts Proficient 26% 30% Advanced 30% 23% 20% 15% 10% 22% 12% 4 4% 0% General population Economically Foster youth disadvantaged
PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENROLLEES WHO PERSISTED AT LEAST ONE YEAR 70% 62% 60% 48% 50% 41% 40% 30% 20% 10% 5 0% General population Comparison population Foster youth
HIGHEST GRADE COMPLETED AT AGE 26 Former Same age foster youth comparison group No high school diploma or GED 20% 6% High school diploma only 31% 18% GED only 9% 4% One or more years of college, but no degree 32% 26% 2-year college degree 4% 10% 4-year college degree 3% 24% 47% 8% One or more years of graduate school 1% 13% 6
EDUCATION LEVEL HAS LONG TERM IMPLICATIONS 7
A KEY FACTOR IN LOW RATES OF RETENTION AND DEGREE COMPLETION IS THE LOW RATE OF FINANCIAL AID RECEIPT % of foster youth in CA community colleges who receive this form of financial aid 85% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 50% 40% 30% 20% 9% 10% 0% Cal Grant Pell Grant BOG Fee Waiver 8
WHY IS THE LOW RATE OF PELL RECEIPT AMONG FOSTER YOUTH PROBLEMATIC? Foster youth don’t Pell Grant is an Chafee ETV Parental earnings have parents to entitlement, unlike funding is fixed, and borrowing is help pay for other sources that regardless of #1 way college is college run out of funding demand paid for in the U.S. Receipt of financial $1,000 in grant Pell is the largest aid is a predictor $5,814 annually aid increases the single federal grant of retention and probability of program degree completion graduation by 2% Pell can be used for hundreds of 9 CTE programs
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PELL GRANT TO FOSTER YOUTH WHO RECEIVE IT? How would not receiving the Pell Grant affect your school enrollment? 2.6% 19.2% 36.1% 42.1% I would reduce my course load to work more I would likely dis-enroll from school 10 Source : January 2017 I would maintain my course load butwork more Survey of 337 Burton It would have no effect Book Fund Recipients
WHAT HAS IT MEANT TO YOUTH WHO DIDN’T RECEIVE THE PELL GRANT? How has not receiving the Pell Grant affected your school enrollment? 8.3% 17.5% 47.1% 33.3% I maintained my course load butworked more I had to reduce my course load towork more 11 It had no effect Source : January 2017 Survey of 337 Burton I had to dis-enroll from school Book Fund Recipients
GOAL OF SB 12 (BEALL): INCREASE RATE OF PELL RECEIPT AMONG FOSTER YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE Help foster Streamline youth apply verification Expand campus- based support 12
PROVISION 1: CONCERN ABOUT COLLEGE SUCCESS HAS GROWN WITH THE INCREASE IN OLDER FOSTER YOUTH 1 in 4 youth in % of foster youth age 18 to 21 in California foster care in 16 13.8 California is aged 13.5 13.4 14 16 and older 11.8 12 10 8.5 1 in 7 youth in 8 foster care in 5.2 6 4.6 California is 4.5 4.3 3.8 3.5 4 college-aged 2 13 0 University of California at Berkeley 1-Jan-06 1-Jan-07 1-Jan-08 1-Jan-09 1-Jan-10 1-Jan-11 1-Jan-12 1-Jan-13 1-Jan-14 1-Jan-15 1-Jan-16 California Child Welfare Indicators Project website
PROVISION 1: HELP FOSTER YOUTH APPLY FOR COLLEGE AND FINANCIAL AID Who is supposed to help me apply for college and financial aid ? My high school guidance My social worker? counselor? My educational rights holder? The county office of education? My Caregiver? My attorney? My mom or dad? My CASA? The Independent Living Skills Program? 14
PROVISION 1: FOSTER YOUTH REPORT THAT THEY ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH ASSISTANCE WITH COLLEGE PLANNING More than enough help 20.4% Enough help 23.2% Some help, but not enough 19.2% Only a little help 13.7% No help 13.3% 15 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0%
PROVISION 1: HOW WOULD SB 12 SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? Require a person to be identified in the case plan to assist the foster youth in the college and financial aid application process SB 12 doesn’t expect all social workers to become experts on financial aid, but rather: Identify the person to assist the youth Ensure youth receives the help they require 16
PROVISION 2: STREAMLINE THE FINANCIAL AID VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR FOSTER YOUTH Financial Financial Verification FAFASA Financial aid award aid award requested completed aid issued packaged letter sent & provided At most colleges foster youth must submit proof of their dependency status, to verify that they are independent students and not required to report their parents’ income. Foster youth frequently lose access to the Pell at this stage 17 in the process.
PROVISION 2: CURRENT SYSTEM PUTS THE BURDEN ON THOUSANDS OF FOSTER YOUTH ANNUALLY What if I can’t get this paper by the time classes starts? Who was my attorney? Who was my last social worker? Will getting this verification cost me money? What was my attorney’s number? Does my foster mom have this paper? What is my social worker’s number? I asked for it, but I still haven’t Should I contact ILP about this? received it. What do I do now? They told me I should call the foster care ombudsman’s office. What’s that? 18
PROVISION 2: WASN’T AB 592 SUPPOSED TO SOLVE THIS? AB 592 (Stone) authorized Foster Care Ombudsman’s Office to provide foster youth with verification of their dependency or wardship status. Since February 2016, 422 foster youth have been provided this verification. 19
PROVISION 2: SB 12 WOULD AUTOMATE THE VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR FOSTER YOUTH CSAC conducts Financial aid CDSS provides verification and officials access data to CSAC uploads to grant verification in data delivery system portal This process has been used successfully for the Chafee Education and Training Voucher 20
PROVISION 3: EXPAND ACCESS TO CAFYES Established through Senate Bill 1023 (Liu) in 2014; funded in 2015-16 budget Community College Chancellor’s Office issued funding to 10 districts through a competitive process in 2015 Established campus support programs on 26 campuses for foster youth within EOPS programs $15 million annual appropriation 21
CURRENT CAFYES CAMPUSES San Francisco Bay Area Northern California • Laney College • Shasta College • Merritt College • Sierra College • Berkeley City College • Santa Rosa Junior College • College of Alameda San Diego County Santa Barbara County • Grossmont College • Allan Hancock College • Cuyamaca College Los Angeles Area Fresno County • Pasadena College • Fresno City College • Los Angeles Valley College • Reedley College • Los Angeles Mission College • Los Angeles Pierce College Orange County • Los Angeles Trade T ech • Golden West College • Los Angeles City College • Orange Coast College • Los Angeles Southwest College • Coastline College • Los Angeles Harbor College 22 • East LA College • West LA College
CORE SERVICES OF CAFYES SPECIALIZED SERVICES ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR FOSTER YOUTH Counseling and mental • Matriculation and • health services transfer counseling • Independent living • Monitoring of skills academic progress • Housing assistance • Tutoring • Child care allowances • Academic mentoring • Transportation • Frequent in-person allowances contact • Career counseling • Allowances for books and supplies 23
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR CAFYES? Person whose dependency in California was established or continued by the court on or after the youth's16th birthday and who is younger than age 26. Age eligibility aligns with other programs for foster youth: Chafee Education and Training Voucher Independent Living Skills Program Priority registration Guardianship benefits to age 21 Adoption assistance benefits to age 21. 24
WHY DO SO MANY PROGRAMS LINK ELIGIBILITY TO AGE 16? Youth in foster care at age 16 much less likely to be reunified, adopted or exited to guardianship than youth in foster care at age 13 In California: 38% less likely at age 16 than at age 13 79.3% less likely at age 17 than at age 13 25
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