{"id":18054,"date":"2024-05-10T12:27:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T18:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/co4kids.org\/?p=18054"},"modified":"2024-05-10T12:27:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T18:27:48","slug":"cdhs-improves-educational-outcomes-for-foster-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co4kids.org\/es\/news-press\/cdhs-improves-educational-outcomes-for-foster-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"CDHS Improves Educational Outcomes for Foster Youth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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News & Press<\/a><\/div>\n\n

CDHS Improves Educational Outcomes for Foster Youth<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Fostering Opportunities Program pilot sees almost 51% increase in the number\u00a0of high school students who were on track to graduate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DENVER (May 9, 2024) <\/strong>\u2014 In Colorado, only one in four students who experience foster care during high school graduate with their class. In response, Jefferson County Public Schools and Jefferson County Human Services created the Fostering Opportunities program. Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) and its Office of Children, Youth & Families (OCYF), the Governor\u2019s Office of State Planning and Budgeting, the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab, and the Community First Foundation supported the implementation through an innovative form of social financing called Pay for Success<\/a>. CDHS began overseeing the scaling of the program into new school districts in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program provides advocacy, mentorship, social-emotional and academic support to middle and high school students who have experienced foster care. It emphasizes building up collaboration and communication between school districts and county human service agencies to better support the educational needs of youth in out-of-home care both during their case and after case closure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abYoung people are not just the future; they are the architects of a brighter tomorrow. It’s imperative that we equip them with the tools to break free from negative educational trends and chart their own paths to success,\u00bb<\/strong> emphasized Mollie Bradlee, interim director for the Office of Children, Youth and Families. \u00abFostering Opportunities’ commitment to dismantling obstacles to education helps ensure that every young person has an opportunity to be successful, and to unlock new opportunities as they transition to adulthood.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fostering Opportunities is currently the only approach in the U.S. proven to improve educational outcomes for middle school and high school students in foster care. The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab<\/a> recently released the final report<\/a> after a three-year randomized controlled trial in Jefferson County Public Schools. The initial evaluation findings highlight some great successes of the intervention, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n