Foster Youth

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backpacks hanging on outside school wall — Providing support and resources for foster children

Under AB 854, the California Department of Education (CDE) administers the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Programs (FYSCPs) through county offices of education to provide support services to foster children who suffer the traumatic effects of displacement from family and schools and multiple placements in foster care. These FYSCPs have the ability and authority to ensure that health and school records are obtained to establish appropriate placements and coordinate instruction, counseling, tutoring, mentoring, vocational training, emancipation services, training for independent living, and other related services. The FYSCPs increase the stability of placements for foster children and youth. These services are designed to improve the children's educational performance and personal achievement, directly benefiting them.

2021-2026 San diego County Interagency Agreement (pdf)

the Transportation MOU (PDF)

More to Explore

About Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program and Homeless Education Services

The Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program and Homeless Education Services team responds to, assists, and empowers all systems that support students who are in foster care or are experiencing homelessness.

We are funded by the CDE and federal Department of Education as well as other funding sources. This team is primarily located at the Casey Family Programs Youth Transition Center in Old Town with School Success Liaisons co-located and out-stationed county-wide within Health and Human Services Agency, Child Welfare Services offices.

Programs represent a partnership among San Diego County's key stakeholders focused on improving the educational outcomes of children and youth in foster care and those on probation ages 4 to 21, regardless of placement type, as well as those students and families who are experiencing homelessness.

The Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program Executive Advisory Council represents school districts, community colleges, child welfare services, probation, juvenile court, advocacy agencies, and substitute care providers, who oversee the development and implementation of all programming. These agencies work in close partnership with us to strengthen and enhance services to students in foster care. In addition, we coordinate services and provide support to McKinney Vento homeless education liaisons and to homeless students and their families in our region's school districts.

Mailing Address

6401 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Physical Address

3878 Old Town Avenue, Suite #200
San Diego, CA 92110

Programs and Contacts

Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program

College Connection: The FYS College Connection Initiative is supported by representatives from the FYS CCAC.
Foster Focus: A secure web-based data system designed specifically to store education records for wards (placed in out-of-home placement) and dependents of San Diego County used statewide.
School Success Project: School Success Project educational liaisons are out stationed and co-located with social workers at many regional Child Welfare offices. The educational liaisons serve as subject matter experts and receive referrals for education related services.
Transportation: The Memorandum of agreement is made between the County of San Diego by and through its Health and Human Services Agency and the San Diego County Superintendent of Schools and San Diego County School local educational agencies. Cost sharing agreement to meet the requirements for transportation to SOO under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Tutoring and Tutor Connection: The Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program strives to develop an efficient, accessible, and cost-effective coordination of educational support services with collaborative partners to achieve increased academic outcome.

Contacts

Children's Legal Service of San Diego (PDF) - Court-appointed legal representatives of dependent children and youth in San Diego County.
School Success Program List (PDF)
District Liaison Contact List (PDF)
Charter Liaison Contact List (PDF)

Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program Staff Contact List (PDF)

Tutor Connection

Tutor Connection is a community-based program that provides high-quality tutoring to youth currently in or emancipated from foster care in San Diego County.

Youth are referred to the program by social workers, case managers, court-appointed special advocates (CASAs), attorneys, judges, and caregivers. The program goals are to assist foster youth in overcoming educational obstacles and to inform future teachers about the unique needs of foster youth, and provide them with information on the Child Welfare System.

Tutors in Tutor Connection are students enrolled in a teacher education course within the College of Education at California State University, San Marcos. The course is designed as a service learning course, with the tutoring as a component of Community Service Learning. Students are graded on course work and the service learning project. The course is co-taught by a university professor and a FYS program staff member. Curriculum includes instruction on tutoring from an educational framework and is complemented with information about trauma, abuse, neglect, foster care, professional boundaries, behavioral management and the laws related to the education of students in foster care. Youth and caregivers are fully informed of the voluntary nature of the Tutor Connection program. Participants (youth and caregivers) are required to attend an orientation during which their commitment to this program is explained and agreements to participate are signed. The youth and their caregivers make a commitment to participate for a full semester. The guideline for tutoring is two sessions per week totaling three hours per week. Tutoring takes place in the home, after school program, or a public library.

Resources and Information

Free SAT prep tests/study guide: Number2.Com, CollegeBoard.Com
Homework Help — A collection of links and interactive resources by subject

Tutor Connection Referral Form

Events, Meetings, and Training

Jan. 24: Financial Aid Workshop for Adult Supporters of Foster Youth (recording)
Sept. 19: All Things Transportation for Foster Youth
Oct. 8: FYSCP 101: Foundations for Supporting Education Success
Nov. 12: Foster or Not (Link to register)
Feb. 11: School Stability & BIDs (Link to register)
Mar. 11: Building Brighter Pathways: Collaborative Approaches to Foster Youth Educational Success (Link to register)
Mar. 20: All Things Transportation for Foster Youth (link to register)

Foster Youth Resources

Foster Care

Trauma-Informed Practices for Schools

Publications

A Guide to Understanding and Coping with Compassion Fatigue - This resource describes how actively paying attention to what's going on at home and abroad can help ensure you are an informed citizen who is well positioned to lend a helping hand when needed.
Calmer Classrooms: A Guide to Working with Traumatized Children - This informational booklet provides teachers and educators with tools to effectively work with students impacted by trauma, particularly those who have experienced abuse and neglect. Includes strategies involving relationship-based approaches to handle conflicts in classroom settings.
Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators - Provides information for educators, parents, and caretakers. In addition, this includes an overview of psychological and behavioral impact of trauma separated by grade level.
Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom- Based on research and the author's experience working with trauma-affected students, this book will help you understand what trauma is and how it hinders learning, motivation, and success for all students. Strengths-based approaches and solutions to building relationships are explored in detail.
Helping Traumatized Children Learn - This publication authored by the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, describes the impact of trauma on learning and proposes a policy agenda.

Recommended Websites

Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Provides information on the Adverse Childhood Experiences study along with links to statistics and related publications.
Child Trauma Academy - A non-profit organization that translates emerging findings about the human brain and child development into practical implications for the ways we educate children.
Sesame Street in Communities - Provides educators with videos, lessons, printables, and other tools to teach children strategies to cope with traumatic experiences.

Self-Care for Educators and Providers

Mindful Teachers
The Importance of Self-Care
Treatment and Services Adaptation Center
Self-Care for Psychologists
Self-Care Starter Kit for Social Workers

Program Recognitions

Foster Youth Services was the recipient of the prestigious Golden Bell Award in 2004 in the category of Student Support given by the California School Boards Association. The program also received a commendation by State Superintendent Jack O’Connell and a proclamation from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

The Tutor Connection Program has become a recognized best practice model locally, statewide, and nationally. The program has worked to bridge the worlds of public education and public child welfare, increasing both systems’ awareness of each other’s missions, goals, and mandates.

The Tutor Connection Program has received the following recognitions or awards:

Challenge Awards Merit recipient of the California State Association of Counties for populations over 700,000 in November 2007.
Award was received from California State University’s Service Learning as a model program in 2005
The Tutor Connection Program was awarded the “Changing a Lifetime” award at the Foster Care Month Kick-Off Event on May 1, 2007
Certificate of Recognition for providing excellence in tutoring services to youth in foster care by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell, May 3, 2007.
The Tutor Connection Program was selected as a best practice of collaboration for increasing the educational outcomes of foster youth in Washington D.C. at the National Education Roundtable in May 2007
The Tutor Connection Program was recognized by the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation at the Corporation for National & Community Service’s (CNCS) 2008 National Conference on Volunteering and Service. The program was designated by the foundation as a Certified Carter Partnership for meeting their standards for excellence in academic campus-community collaboration and received an award of $10,000 to support the Tutor Connection Program activities.

Joint Foster Youth & Homeless Liaison Meetings

FYSCP and HES programs convene District and Charter school liaisons to provide updates, resources, and an opportunity to connect with other liaisons!  All Foster Youth and Homeless Liaisons are encouraged to attend these meetings that occur three times per year.

Upcoming Meeting Dates:

Sept. 10, 2024, 9 to 11 a.m. for September 10 meeting

Jan. 14, 2025, 9 to 11 a.m. Register Here for January 14 meeting

May 13, 2025, 9 to 11 a.m. Register Here for May 13 meeting

College and Career Preparation and Supports

Preparing for College

List of College Liaisons to Support Students in Foster Care: Foster youth support programs go by various names including Next Up, Guardian Scholars, Renaissance Scholars, or others.

College Support Services for Students in Foster Care

Next UP

San Diego College Support Services for Students in Foster Care

Hope Scholars UCSD
ACE Scholars Cal State San Marcos
Guardian Scholars SDSU
Promises to Kids Guardian Scholars: Guardian Scholars supports our foster youth who wish to obtain a university, community college, or trade school education. This vital resource provides students with the financial assistance and support to fulfill their dreams of attaining higher education.
- Something Special for Foster Youth Students (up to $750 per year)
  
  Children in Foster Care often feel alone & isolated and may go without simple pleasures of childhood such as birthday gifts, a sports uniform, a musical instrument or extracurricular activities. Apply for "something special funds", which is set up to support these needs, and they are really easy to access. Youth qualify for $750 annually to support activities & general needs.
- Camp and activities connecting foster youth students to their siblings.
  
  Camp Connect reunites sisters and brothers who are separated in the foster care system through a four-day, residential summer camp. They can also participate in 10 one-day events and personalized sibling day visits throughout the year. Help your students stay connected to their siblings.
- Free Individualized Instruction through Kumon Learning Centers (fill out something special form)
  
  This program supports students in foster care with free tutoring at Kumon Learning Center! Kumon’s unique curriculum begins at the preschool level and goes through high school. It is built to enhance what students learn in school. Use the "something special" form to begin the request.

Apply for College

Apply for Financial Aid

California Financial Aid Resources

Scholarship Information

Housing Information

main contacts

Charisma De Los Reyes
Coordinator
Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program
charisma.delosreyes@sdcoe.net
858-298-2098

Violeta Mora
Program Specialist
Foster Youth Services
vmora@sdcoe.net
858-298-2099

Renee Clancy
Program Assistant
Foster Youth Services
renee.clancy@sdcoe.net
858-569-3092

Kimberly Roberts
Administrative Assistant I
Foster Youth and Homeless
Education Services
kroberts@sdcoe.net
858-290-5843