1) Youth who age out of foster care at 18 often lack support to pursue higher education, with less than 2% obtaining a college degree compared to 20% of peers. 2) Key barriers include lack of academic preparation, life skills, and permanent support systems. Being cut off from government assistance at 18 also makes supporting oneself and education difficult. 3) One proposed solution is for colleges to provide mentoring programs for foster youth, like Michigan State University's FAME program, which has been shown to improve educational attainment. Increased minimum age of aging out to 24 could also help.

1. Supporting Foster Care Youth as
They Pursue Higher Education
Marilyn Beardslee
Advocacy Project
Social Work 471

2. The Issue
Youth who have aged out of the foster care system
oftentimes lack the academic, financial, and
emotional support they need to
enroll, succeed, and graduate from higher
education institutions
(Casey Family Programs, 2006)

3. Background of the Issue
Although youth who have been foster care for any length of time
have a disadvantage regards to succeeding in higher education
compared to their peers, those who have “aged-out” of the system
have the most difficulty because they literally on their own (Shirk &
Strangler, 2004).
Youth who have “aged out” of the foster care system are those who
have not adopted or reunited with their families by age 18 (McCoy-
Roth, DeVooght, Fletcher, 2011).
Once a foster youth turns 18-years-old, the government is no longer
responsible for them, and are adults in the eyes of the law
(Wolanin, 2005).

4. Scope of the Issue
In 2010, about 44,880 (11%) of the 408,000 children in
foster care in the United Stated “aged out” of the
system; leaving them without any support (McCoy-
Roth, DeVooght, & Fletcher, 2011)
Less than 2% of those youth obtain a college degree
(Pecora et al., 2005)

5. The Gaps
Of those who age out of the foster care system:
About 50% graduate high school and are college ready
As compared to 70% of their peers
Around 20% of those actually attend post-secondary education
As compared to 60% of their peers
18 % drop out of college before they graduate
About 2% of those obtain a college degree
As compared to 20% of their peers
(Pecora et al., 2005 Wolanin, 2005)

6. Immediate Causes of
Low College Graduation Rates
Lack of academic preparedness through K-12 leads
youth to be less prepared for higher education. This
is can be due to:
• Frequently changing placements
• Lack of educational home support
• Life traumas that interrupt the learning process
(Casey Family Programs, 2006)

7. Immediate Causes of
Low College Graduation Rates
Lack of life skills and how to live on their
own, including how to seek:
• Adequate housing
• Health coverage
• Further education
• Employment
(Ferrell, 2004)

8. Immediate Causes of
Low College Graduation Rates
Lack of a permanent support system leading to
factors that make it difficult to complete higher
education:
• Few positive role models • Violence
• Low self-esteem • Suicide
• Substance abuse • Teen Pregnancy
• Mental health issues • Homelessness
(King, Vidourek, and McClellan, 2002)

9. 3 Main Underlying Causes
Foster youth are aged out at 18, this is before college
age, therefore making it very difficult to support oneself after
this time, let alone pursue higher education
Independent living programs for youth aging out of the
system, are not required to college advise, so youth may
never know how to access higher education
College campuses often lack of support for foster youth and
their unique needs
(Wolanin, 2005)

10. A Proposed Solution:
Become a Mentor!
• Having a mentor has been found to improve
educational attainment for foster care youth
(Osterling & Hines, 2006; Merdinger, Hines,
Osterling, Wyatt, 2005)
• Mentors serve as someone to
encourage, give advice, teach independent
living skills, and guide foster youth through
education after high school (Osterling &
Hines, 2006)
• Note: Foster youth need a mentor well
before the age of 18 in order to build a
trusting relationship before they age out
(Osterling & Hines, 2006)

11. Successful Mentoring Program:
Michigan State University
Fostering Academics, Mentoring Excellence (FAME)
The FAME program is a perfect example of a college campus offering
resources, support, and mentoring to foster youth attaining higher
education.
Foster youth voluntarily sign up to be a mentee for at least one
year, and are paired with a qualified mentor.
The program also provides ongoing support for youth during the
school year and during holiday breaks.
To Become a Mentor:
http://socialwork.msu.edu/outreach/foster_y
outh_alumni_svcs.php
(Michigan State University School of Social Work, 2013)

12. Other Proposed Solutions Include:
• The age of “aging out” should be increased to
age 24 to promote college success
• Independent Living Programs should be
required to college advise youth in their
programs
• College campuses should be required to have
foster care alumni services available
(Wolanin, 2005)

13. References
Casey Family Programs. (2006). Its my life: Postsecondary education and training guide. Retrieved from:
http://www.casey.org/resources/publications/ItsMyLife/Education.htm
Ferrell, F. (2004). Life after foster care. State Legislatures, 30(9), 28-30. Retrieved
from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/198452707?accountid=12598
King, K., Vidourek, R., Davis, B., & McClellan, W. (2002). Increasing self-esteem and school connectedness through a multidimensional mentoring program.
Journal of School Health, 72(7), 294-299
McCoy-Roth, M., DeVooght, & Fletcher, M. (2011). Number of youth aging out of foster care drops below 28,000 in 2010. FosteringConnections.org, 5, 1-8
Merdinger, J. M., Hines, A. M., Kathy, L. O., & Wyatt, P. (2005). Pathways to college for former foster youth: Understanding factors that contribute to
educational success. Child Welfare, 84(6), 867-96. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/213809252?accountid=12598
Michigan State University School of Social Work. (2013). Fostering Academics, Mentoring Excellence (FAME). Retrieved from:
http://socialwork.msu.edu/outreach/foster_youth_alumni_svcs.php
Osterling, K. L. and Hines, A. M. (2006), Mentoring adolescent foster youth: Promoting resilience during developmental transitions. Child & Family Social
Work, 11, 242–253. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2006.00427.x
Pecora, P., Kessler, K., Williams, J., O’Brien, K., Downs,C., English, D., White, J., Hiripi, E., White, C., Wiggins, T., & Holmes, K. (2005). Improving foster family
care: Findings from the northwest foster care alumni study. Casey Family Programs. Retrieved from:
http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/NorthwestAlumniStudy.htm
Shirk, M. & Stangler, G. (2004). On their own: What happens to kids when they age out of the foster care system? Boulder, CO: Westview Press
Wolanin, T. R. (2005). Higher education opportunities for foster youth: A primer for policymakers. The Institute for Higher Education Policy
(IHEP), December. www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/m-r/OpportunitiesFosterYouth.pdf