Focus Areas

Speaking up for foster kids

PTA’s “every child, one voice” includes speaking out for California’s nearly 62,000 foster children and youth.

FACTS ABOUT CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE

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Foster children are truly California’s children. The State of California has ultimate placement and care responsibility for these children who receive 24-hour substitute care and placements away from their parents or guardians. Placement options include foster-family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, child-care institutions and pre-adoptive homes.

Children in these circumstances have unique needs and concerns. According to a first-of-its-kind report — The Invisible Achievement Gap — and follow-up part-two review by WestEd, foster children are a “distinctively disadvantaged subgroup.” Children and youth in foster care:

  • Constitute a subgroup that is distinct from low-income students
  • We’re consistently among the lowest performing subgroups academically in math and English
  • Had the highest dropout rates and were less likely to graduate from high school than other students
  • We’re more likely than the general population to be enrolled in the lowest performing schools
  • Were twice as likely to be designated with a disability, and five times more likely to be classified with an emotional disturbance
  • We’re more likely to change schools during the school year.

California State PTA has a long history of supporting policies and legislation that support California’s foster children and youth, and we’ll continue to speak out loud and clear for these special kids.

“Students in every type of foster care placement lagged significantly behind their peers who were not in foster care.” — The Invisible Achievement Gap Part 2

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

FOSTER-CHILD INFORMATION

PERMANENCY AND ADOPTION INFORMATION

VIDEO RESOURCES