May was National Foster Care Awareness Month, a time in which we amplify the voices and experiences of the more than 400,000 young people in the system. While foster care is touted a protective intervention, the experiences and educational outcomes of young people in care are quite concerning. Research suggests that youth in foster care pursue higher education at considerably lower rates than their peers, despite maintaining similar aspirations. Moreover, less than 11% of youth with foster care experience graduate from college. Each year, there are also about 20,000 youth who “age-out” of the foster care system, referring to the age in which youth are forced into adulthood (usually at age 18). Youth who age out are at a heightened risk of homelessness, teen pregnancy, drug abuse and incarceration.
Dr. Royel Johnson
What is also concerning is that young people with foster care experience have yet to be prioritized in national student success initiatives, as I have argued elsewhere. This is not surprising since most Americans report knowing very little to nothing about the foster care system. Lack of general awareness about issues impacting young people in care has implications for the provision of education resources and social supports that enable their success.
Colleges and universities have an institutional responsibility to undertake efforts that improve the material conditions of young people with foster care experience. Such efforts, however, must be informed by the voices and experiences of those with lived experience in care. In this spirit, I invited Michael Grey—a foster care alum and emerging student affairs practitioner—to share insights about his experience and suggestions for higher education leaders interested in supporting students impacted by the system. Here’s what he had to say:
I spent a majority of my childhood up until the age of 9 in the foster care system. I believe I spent a total of 5 years in the foster care system, starting at the age of 2. Compared to most, I had decent experiences with the foster homes I stayed in. There were times where I was separated from both of my older siblings, oftentimes because there were no homes that were willing to house all three of us. In some families, my siblings and I were treated differently from the kids of the family we were staying with. This made it difficult, as it made me feel like I was “less than” the other kids in the house. While in foster care, I always thought about how I was going to survive and how I was going to take care of my older sisters. All in all, I think that I had a relatively “good” experience with most of my foster care placements. In 2009, I was placed into kinship care with my grandparents.
