Foster Care

Establish Youth-Centered Education for Youth in Foster Care

NCYL helps students in foster care set, advocate for, and achieve their own educational goals while identifying opportunities for reform.

Youth in foster care often miss out on the opportunity to learn because of unnecessary home and school moves. They rarely receive credit for the coursework they have completed and are consistently educated in substandard learning environments. Research shows youth in foster care experience a staggering gap in educational outcomes, chronic school disengagement, poor attendance, and alarming rates of school mobility. 

Building Compassionate Education Systems

NCYL’s Compassionate Education Systems team works directly with students in foster care in school districts across California and Arizona. 

We help teachers and school site personnel to more effectively engage with youth in foster care and equip them with strategies that help to keep youth in their classrooms and positively engaged in the school community. 

We also empower youth to become more effective advocates for themselves so they can use their voices to inform the education decisions that are being made on their behalf.   

Our work has led to measurable improvements in education outcomes, higher educational satisfaction among students, and policy and practice changes that have lasting benefits for current and future students in foster care.