Getting Out and Getting In: Assets and Barriers to Transitioning from Foster Care to Higher Education

Format

Panel

Presenters

Stacie K. Pettit, Augusta UniversityFollow
Ann DiGirolamo, Georgia State University

First Presenter's Institution

Augusta University

First Presenter’s Email Address

spettit@augusta.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Stacie K. Pettit, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor, M.Ed. in Instruction and Middle Grades Program Coordinator at Augusta University. She is the Vice Chair of the Middle Level Education Research (MLER) SIG. Her research interests include meeting the diverse needs of marginalized populations in middle grades.

Second Presenter's Institution

Georgia State University

Second Presenter’s Email Address

adigirolamo@gsu.edu

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Ann Digirolamo is a doctoral level child psychologist and research faculty at GSU. She leads a team that works closely with state agencies around challenges that affect vulnerable children and families within the state of Georgia.

Location

Session Nine

Strand #1

Home: Family & Community Engagement

Strand #2

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Relevance

Head:

While many studies on youth involved in the foster care system discuss high school completion rates, little research has focused on youth’s experiences and success with pursuing and navigating post-secondary education (Rios and Rocco 2014). Seven out of 10 youth in the foster care system say they want to attend college, but only 6% of youth who age out of the system will attend a post-secondary education and only about 50% of those who attend will graduate (McMillen et al., 2003). A major barrier to staying enrolled in a post secondary education program is related to financial aid needs and stable housing (Rosenberg & Youngmi, 2017; Watt, Faulkner, Bustillos, & Madden 2019).

Home:

Transition age youth may greatly benefit from supports that encourage and sustain postsecondary enrollment. Transition from youth to adulthood is difficult, but the majority of youth have a supported transition that allows them to explore their new independent identity with a safety net (Kools, 1997). Transition age youth in the foster care system lose all support once out of the system with no transitional period (Rios & Rocco, 2014). Services provided by college campuses are a good replacement that can help youth with navigating their new independent responsibilities with financial aid, housing, healthcare, securing employment and food security (Dworsky, & Perez, 2010; Kinarsky, 2017). The completion of a postsecondary education has been found to have a positive effect on health and wellbeing outcomes related to less economic hardship, and healthier life choices in the general population (Wang & Conwell, 2022). Foster youth who have a disproportionate risk of unemployment and negative health outcomes have a greater benefit from completing a post secondary education than their general population counterparts (Okpych & Courtney, 2014).

Brief Program Description

Students in foster care have lower rates of college entry than same-grade peers. This presentation will share results on perceived barriers and facilitators to pursuing post-secondary education among youth and caregivers involved in foster care, sharing relevant resources and policies available to assist youth and families.

Summary

The research design and methodology of this study involved interviewing transitioning youth in foster care, their caregivers, and young adults currently attending post-secondary education, to better understand the facilitators and barriers related to their foster care experiences and the youth’s pursuit of college and career after high school graduation. Fifteen focus groups were conducted with each group: rural youth in foster care, urban youth in foster care, suburban youth in foster care, caregivers of participant youth in foster care in each setting (rural, urban, and suburban), and young adults in post-secondary programs in suburban settings.Twenty four participants, ranging in ages from 15-80 years-old, were interviewed over the course of three months.

The analysis followed the coding and theme development strategies outlined in thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006). Our approach to the data was abductive, which means that the coding and analytical process was guided by both key insights identified in the data (bottom-up) and theoretical assumptions and predetermined objectives established by the primary research team (top-down). To improve the validity, rigor, and trustworthiness of the findings and to minimize effects of researcher biases, coding and analysis were conducted collaboratively. Using a split coding strategy, four researchers were responsible for reviewing and creating and developing codes from the interview and focus group transcripts. Once the coding was complete, two researchers created and developed themes that were reviewed and finalized by the analysis team.

Findings emerged from both youth and caregivers regarding strengths and assets available to support transition aged youth in the foster care system who wish to pursue post-secondary education. The assets reported by participants fell into six broad categories: community, school, family, individual/personal, financial, and direct experiences. Assets include areas of support that foster youth and caregivers reported they use or that are available to them to help the transition into higher education.

Evidence

According to the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, there were an estimated 442,995 children involved in the foster care system in 2017, with approximately 23% of these aged 14–20 (Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, 2018). Literature has well documented barriers and the negative outcomes youth in the foster care system may experience. Considering that the foster care system is meant to be a temporary solution, many youth experience transitioning to different homes until they are placed in a permanent home (Thomas 2022). However, many older youth age out before they can be placed in a permanent home. As of 2017, an estimated 20,711 youth exited foster care through emancipation, either by aging out of the system or running away (Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, 2018). Youth that age out of foster care experience many adverse adult outcomes, such as poverty or homelessness, that youth that exit the foster care system in other ways may not experience (Rosenberg and Abbott 2019).

The Federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (2008) (the FCA or Fostering Connections Act) gave states the ability to extend services to youth past the age of 18, through their 21st birthday. Youth must be enrolled in high school or post-secondary education, employed or enrolled in a job training program, or have a documented disability. Studies show that youth who receive extended foster care services after they turn 18 experience better outcomes than those who do not (Rosenberg and Abbott 2019). Still, a study that interviewed young people who had transitioned out of the system reported that seeking help means relying on the system that is connected to a painful past, (Pryce, Napolitano, & Samuels, 2017).

While many studies on youth involved in the foster care system discuss high school completion rates, little research has focused on youth’s experiences and success with pursuing and navigating post-secondary education (Rios and Rocco 2014). Seven out of 10 youth in the foster care system say they want to attend college, but only 6% of youth who age out of the system will attend a post-secondary education and only about 50% of those who attend will graduate (McMillen et al., 2003). A major barrier to staying enrolled in a post secondary education program is related to financial aid needs and stable housing (Rosenberg & Youngmi, 2017; Watt, Faulkner, Bustillos, & Madden 2019).

Other studies have looked at how trauma has negatively impacted foster care youth’s experience with higher education. Many youth in the foster care system experience trauma related to instability of the system, lack of access to resources, and further abuse (Riebschleger, Day, & Damashek, 2015). Youth who have not experienced trauma may navigate the world with curiosity and wanting new experiences, while youth with a history of trauma may navigate life with fear. The trauma experienced by youth may decrease their confidence and aspirations to obtain education (Morton, 2018). Trauma may also lead to mental health challenges, as many college students previously involved in the foster care system report having greater mental health distress than peers not involved in the system (Unrau, Dawson, Hamilton, & Bennett 2017).

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Watt, T., Faulkner, M., Bustillos, S., & Madden, E. (2019). Foster Care Alumni and Higher Education: A Descriptive Study of Post-secondary Achievements of Foster Youth in Texas. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36(4), 399–408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-018-0569-x

Learning Objective 1

increase their understanding of the perceived barriers to pursuing secondary education among youth and caregivers in the foster care system.

Learning Objective 2

increase their understanding of the strengths and assets that can facilitate pursuing secondary education among youth in the foster care system.

Learning Objective 3

become familiar with the resources available to youth and families to assist in pursuing secondary education in hopes that they can disseminate widely to those with whom they work.

Keyword Descriptors

foster care, higher education, transition, post-secondary education, qualitative research

Presentation Year

2024

Start Date

3-6-2024 11:15 AM

Recommended Citation

Pettit, Stacie K. and DiGirolamo, Ann, "Getting Out and Getting In: Assets and Barriers to Transitioning from Foster Care to Higher Education" (2024). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 98.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2024/2024/98