October 22, 2007
State universities working to keep former foster children on road to college degrees
By ELAINE REGUS
The Press-Enterprise
Correction:
An article in Monday's newspaper about programs for former foster youth on four-year college campuses misnamed the program at Cal State San Bernardino. The program is called the EOP Foster Youth Program.
Candice Knowles attended seven high schools before graduating with honors from Colton High in 2006.
Like most former foster youths, Knowles lacked certain courses necessary to attend a four-year college.
And, like most teens who leave the foster-care system at age 18, Knowles didn't have the money, transportation or role models to ease her transition into college.
Knowles, 19, is now studying business administration at Cal State San Bernardino, thanks to a program designed to help former foster youths get into and succeed in college.
A growing number of state universities are providing more services for children raised in foster care, including help applying for grants and scholarships, academic, psychological and career counseling, tutoring and on-campus housing.
"I don't focus on where they came from. 'Tell me your sob story and let me take pity on you.' That's not the focus," said Tristan Garcia, foster-youth coordinator for the Educational Opportunity Program at Cal State San Bernardino.
"The focus is on helping you have a life-changing experience."
While the number of students participating in the programs is small, the results are encouraging.
Garcia said the overall retention rate for students in the EOP Foster Youth Program at Cal State San Bernardino is about 75 percent compared to less than 50 percent of students who graduate systemwide within six years.
The retention rate is similar among participants in the Guardian Scholars program at Cal State Fullerton, 70 percent, and Renaissance Scholars at Cal Poly Pomona, 67 percent. All three programs currently serve about 40 students each.
An estimated 800,000 children nationwide go through the foster-care system every year, according to the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization.
Half of them graduate from high school, compared with 70 percent of their peers who are not in foster care. Only about 20 percent of them go to college, compared with about 60 percent of all high school seniors.
Statistics on college completion are fragmented but estimates indicate 5 percent or less eventually graduate, compared with more than 20 percent of the adult population.
Garcia and Jenny Vinopal, who is program director for Cal Poly Pomona's Renaissance Scholars, have become official ambassadors for the programs. They made a presentation about the programs in September at workshops for high school and community college counselors to let them know what services are available.
Alex Brittain
Alex Brittain, 23, is in his sixth year at Cal State San Bernardino and expects to graduate in the spring. He plans to get his master's degree and, ultimately, his doctorate in history.
Brittain said he and his brother were placed in foster care when he was 7. He didn't know his father and his mother had difficulty raising them. He said he and his brother were malnourished when they first went into foster care.
Brittain, who graduated from Eisenhower High School in Rialto in 2002, said a guidance counselor he met through an independent-living program helped him get into Cal State San Bernardino through the Educational Opportunity Program even though he had missed the registration deadline.
Since the foster youth program hadn't started yet, Brittain was on his own.
"The first year I had no one," Brittain recalled. "It was a very lonely experience."
Without a support network, Brittain struggled academically and he came close to being kicked out of school. He credits EOP Director Nadine Chavez with intervening and getting him back on track.
Scholarships paid for Brittain to live on campus but the summer after his freshman year, he was short of cash and wound up living in a group home for young adults. Food was scarce and rules required him to be out of the house in the early morning even though he worked nights.
Once the EOP Program started in the fall of 2003, Brittain had access to more grants and scholarships to cover year-round housing and support services to help him academically.
Candice Knowles
Knowles, unlike Brittain, got help from the start.
She started in the Summer Transition and Enrichment Program before her freshman year. All former foster youths are encouraged to attend the summer program as well as a freshman seminar designed specifically for them.
"I was really scared when I got here," Knowles said, adding that the summer program helped ease the transition.
"In foster care, they don't really prepare you for college," she said.
Knowles lacked one writing class that was required to get into the Cal State system, but EOP has the authority to waive certain admission requirements. Now, she is working in the economics department.
Not everyone in the program succeeds.
Garcia said those who leave typically fail to master the basic skills such as remedial math and English.
Last year, one of her students held the power of attorney for his mother, who was in prison in Barstow. He often had to spend time in Barstow taking care of matters for her and missed classes as a result.
Keeping It Going
The first Guardian Scholars program was established at Cal State Fullerton in 1998. Today, seven Cal State campuses have separate programs for former foster youths and seven others are developing programs.
University of California campuses with similar programs include Santa Cruz and Irvine.
All of the programs rely heavily on community organizations and individuals to provide financial assistance beyond the state and federal grants available to the students.
Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, has introduced legislation that would provide financial aid and support services such as priority on-campus housing and counseling to help former foster youths succeed in college. So far, his efforts have been unsuccessful.
Orangewood Children's Foundation in Orange County has been a partner with Cal State Fullerton since the beginning.
Grace Johnson, Guardian Scholars interim director, estimated it costs $28,000 a year to attend Cal State Fullerton. Donations from Orangewood and other public and private supporters make up the $8,000 shortfall that most students in the program have after government grants and scholarships are factored in.
The Children's Fund of San Bernardino County recently donated $10,000 to the Cal State San Bernardino program to provide four $2,500 scholarships for foster youths from the county.
Garcia said the program is seeking additional grants to help with housing costs.
Last week, the college announced that San Bernardino residents Mark Edwards and his wife, Lori Beach, had designated $650,000 from their estate to establish an endowment to provide scholarships and other financial assistance for undergraduate students who have been foster children.
Edwards, an attorney, said his adopted son, who had been in foster care, attended Cal State San Bernardino. Edwards said he was surprised to learn that once foster children turn 18 they are set free with no parental, financial or emotional support.
"I realized how difficult that made it for these kids to go to college," Edwards said.
Help for former foster youths
Several Cal State campuses offer assistance to students who grew up in foster care. Services include:
Admissions assistance
Financial assistance
On-campus housing assistance
Orientation to college through summer bridge program before freshman year
Academic advising and monitoring
Counseling and support
Peer mentoring and tutoring
Employment opportunities
Socials and quarterly celebrations
Post-graduation career planning and assistance
Cultural enrichment activities