We know that educational attainment impacts lifetime earning potential. On average, the median income for a young adult without a High School Diploma will earn half of what their counterparts with a Bachelor’s Degree make. Your role in the life of a child in foster care is integral to encouraging and ensuring educational success as national statistics show that children in foster care are twice as likely to repeat a grade and have much higher dropout rates than students in the general population. The following resources should assist you in performing your role in monitoring foster youth’s educational progress and achieving their highest potential.
CFSA Fact Sheets and FAQs
These Fact Sheets and FAQs are meant to serve as guides for monitoring and ensuring a CFSA foster youth's educational progress.
Tips for Social Workers
- Child Care and Early Education Settings
o Child Care Voucher FAQ: information about the OSSE child care voucher program, its eligibility requirements and how to apply
o Child Care Subsidy FAQ: information about CFSA's child care subsidy program, its eligibility requirements, how to apply, the subsidy rates, and what to do if there are problems with daycare payment
- School-Aged Youth
o School Enrollment Tipsheet: Instructions and information for social workers helping complete school enrollment on behalf of a child in foster care.
o Monitoring the Education of Children in Care: Tips for social workers and family support workers on how to monitor and ensure a child’s basic educational needs are met, including tips such as how to access supplies and school uniforms as necessary.
o School Stability and Education Continuity for CFSA Students: Tips and requirements regarding ensuring a child remains in a stable school setting and a decision-making guide for when school placements may need to change.
o School Transportation -- What Social Workers Need to Know: Tips and information on how to arrange school transportation.
o Improving Attendance and Positive School Engagement: Tips on how to monitor and engage a youth on attendance for social workers
Tips for Caregivers
- School Aged Youth
o Improving Attendance and Positive School Engagement For Caregivers: The role foster parents/caregivers play in attendance and tips for encouraging positive attendance.
CFSA Resources and Tools
- Office of Well Being Education Services and Resources
- Fact Sheet: Monitoring the Education of Children in Care
- Fact Sheet: School Stability and Education Continuity for CFSA Students
- Fact Sheet: School Transportation -- What Social Workers Need to Know
- School Placement Decision-Making Guide: designed to assist the team to assess the best interest of the student when making school placement options.
- Attendance Works Toolkit: A toolkit to be used by the team to improve school attendance.
CFSA Forms and Referrals
- Child Care Forms and Referrals
o Child Care Referral Form: the application form social workers must complete to apply for an OSSE child care voucher
o Request for Child Care Placement Change: a form social workers should submit to the OWB when they already have an OSSE voucher, but need to change the daycare location
o DC Universal Health Certificate: a form that all social workers must submit to OWB with the child care referral form in order to secure an OSSE voucher.
- Education Forms
o Education Information Form: to be completed when a child (birth-21) comes into care and at the beginning of each school year and returned to the Office of Well Being.
o Education Information Change Form: to be completed when a school aged child (PreK-12) has a change in care status, placement, or school placement and returned to the Office of Well Being.
- OWB Referral Forms
o Office of Well Being universal e-referral form: to be completed to request contracted services provided by the Office of Well Being such as transportation, tutoring and mentoring.
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Useful External Links and Resources
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Child Care and Early Education Settings
- School-Aged Youth
o Tools for Working with Parents to Improve Attendance
- Post-Secondary Readiness Resources
o Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Disengaged Youth
o OSSE GED Course & Test Information
Questions and Other Inquiries
Office of Well Being:
- Early Education and Child Care: Cornelia Gregory, Child Care Program Specialist, [email protected], 202-727-0065
- Education (data): Tonesia Fenton, Education Project Specialist, [email protected], 202-717-1218
- Transportation & Mentoring: Tracey Talbert, Clinical Support Contracts Liaison, [email protected], 202-727-4679
- Education (e.g. enrollment, tutoring, special education, college prep):
- Dr. Almeta McCannon, Education Resource Specialist (PreK-12), [email protected], 202-905-1468
- Charlotte Williams, Education Resource Specialist (PreK-12), [email protected], 202-528-9805
- Cortni Mitchell-Colston, Education Resource Specialist (PreK-12), [email protected], 202-415-9319
- Jai-Ahmal Mitchell, Education Resource Specialist (9-12), [email protected], 202-709-9580
- Dr. Kimyatta Divinity, Education Resource Specialist (9-12), [email protected], 202-304-6709
- Isaiah Branton, Education Resource Specialist (college), [email protected], 202-904-5163
- Thon Chol, Education Resource Specialist (PreK-12), [email protected], 202-277-0970
- Joelle Myers, Supervisory Education Resource Development Specialist, [email protected], 202-549-2021
- Megan Dho, Supervisory Education Well Being Specialist (Education/Child Care), [email protected], 202-445-6920