Learn effective methods to help foster youth and homeless youth access and succeed in higher education at NASFAA's Annual Conference in Orlando on July 6 - 9.

Two interest sessions at the conference will provide financial aid administrators with in-depth information on the challenges and barriers that foster youth and homeless youth face when pursuing postsecondary education and offer tools and resources to help the financial aid office can help these vulnerable student populations.

Institutional-Community Partnerships to Enhance Foster Youth Services This session will focus on partnership between the Orange County Public Schools, the University of Central Florida, Valencia Community College, the Department of Children and Families, Families, Family Services of Metro Orlando, and the Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators to help foster youth.

These organizations developed a pathway to identify and track foster youth from the time they enter the school system until they complete college. Foster youth liaisons in the public schools, the university and college financial aid office collaborate to provide academic, financial, and personal support to foster youth as they progress through the higher education pipeline.

Homeless Youth to College: Successful Transitions

This session will explore the characteristics, challenges, barriers and lifestyles of the thousands of homeless youth who are struggling to find higher education opportunities. The McKinney-Vento Act that provides a school-based liaison for homeless children in every school district and how financial aid administrators can work with the liaisons in high schools to provide financial aid information.

For more information about the many sessions being offered at this year's conference and to register, visit the NASFAA Annual Conference Web site.

Posted 05/19/08 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.