Young adults who make it to postsecondary programs after leaving foster care are frequently challenged by many personal, academic, and financial barriers that impede their progress and college success, according to John Emerson, senior manager of education for Casey Family Programs.

In the recent article, From Foster Care to College in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators' (NASPA) Leadership Exchange, Emerson underscores the vital impact that postsecondary personnel can have on the lives of foster care youth and is encouraged by the progress being made by the growing number of programs spearheaded by senior student affairs officers (SSAOs).

"Each year some 20,000 youth age 16 and older transition from foster care to legal emancipation and find themselves on their own. Without adequate independent living skills, resources, or safety nets, many experience homelessness and unemployment," writes Emerson, explaining the unique issues that foster care youth face when transitioning from foster care to adulthood.

It is estimated that only 7 to 13 percent of youth living in foster care go on to enroll in postsecondary schooling compared to 27 percent of the general population.

"There are too many foster care youth falling through the cracks," said Tim Christensen, NASFAA vice president for planning & development. "It is incumbent on all of us involved in postsecondary access to reach out to these students and understand the unique and specific challenges they face. Trying to reach all underserved students by painting each subgroup within that population with the same broad brush is simply unacceptable."

Not only do students from foster care lack the support structure that other students take for granted, many also have reservations about identifying their pasts. This makes it difficult to reach out to them to provide information, funding and other resources to help them achieve their postsecondary educational goals.

"We have a population that feels like they should hide their status," said Marcia Weston, NASFAA Director of College Goal Sunday Operations and who - like Christensen - has worked personally on NASFAA's foster youth initiatives with organizations like Casey Family Programs. "Many foster care youth that we have talked to have said that they weren't even aware college was an option for them, let alone that there are specific provisions and programs that may provide them more financial aid than the average student."

In recent months NASFAA has made it a priority to help aid administrators, high school guidance counselors, and other school personnel understand their role in reaching out to this underrepresented population. Some of NASFAA's most recent work in this area includes:

• College Access, Financial Aid, and College Success for Undergraduates from Foster Care, a publication that contains a comprehensive list of recommendations for government and institutional leaders to improve foster care success rates in higher education
• Foster Youth: Tips for Completing the FAFSA, a publication for aid administrators and high school guidance counselors to help foster care youth understand parts of the FAFSA that pertain specifically to their situation
• Arranging a presentation with sponsorship by NASFAA's Student Access and Diversity Committee at NASFAA's 2006 National Conference, Reaching out to Foster Youth: The Unique Role of the Financial Aid Administrator
• Reaching out specifically to students in foster care in nationwide College Goal Sunday initiatives that help students fill out the FAFSA.
• Participating in training financial aid administrators to serve as foster youth liaisons in financial aid offices throughout the California Community College System (CCCS).
• Planning a presentation, again with sponsorship from the Student Access and Diversity Committee, at NASFAA's 2007 National Conference, Foster Youth Success Initiative: The Financial Aid Office Outreach and Retention Project, based on the CCCS experience.
• Building a coalition of states that have or are initiating postsecondary services for youth in foster care.

Emerson points out that if foster youth attended postsecondary education at the same rate as their peers, there would be an additional 100,000 additional foster youth attending college.

"We have seen success in our outreach activities in the past several years," says Christensen. "But there is much more to be done and NASFAA will continue to work with Casey Family Programs and other similar organizations to broaden access to these students, who first need to be identified and then given information, resources, and positive influencers to help them along the way to reaching their educational goals."

By Justin Draeger
NASFAA Assistant Director for Communications

Posted 03/28/07 to www.NASFAA.org. You can read the complete Winter 2007 Leadership Exchange article on the NASFAA Web site where it has been posted with permission from NASPA. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.