Education Stability for Foster Care Youth in Pennsylvania

For more information, visit: https://sites.google.com/view/region-7-foster-website/home

Region 7 serves the following counties:

BradfordMonroeSusquehanna
CarbonMontourTioga
ColumbiaNorthumberlandUnion
LackawannaPikeWayne
LuzerneSnyderWyoming
LycomingSullivan 

Foster Care Program

In December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). In regards to Foster Care, the focus of ESSA is to enhance collaboration and align education and child welfare systems to improve educational outcomes for foster care students. ESSA amends ESEA to include educational stability for foster care youth exclusively under Title 1, removing children “awaiting foster care placement” from the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. ESSA aims to enhance collaboration between education and child welfare systems in each state to ensure educational stability for foster care youth.

On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a guidance to states, school districts and child welfare agencies on the new provisions in ESSA for supporting children in foster care. These provisions take effect in Pennsylvania on December 10, 2016.The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Center for Schools and Communities (CSC) are working together to promote school stability and success for foster care youth.

Our Services

  • Train Children and Youth and school district liaisons
  • Technical assistance
  • Personal visits to sites
  • Distribution of literature
  • School enrollment and placement issues
  • McKinney-Vento training

Contact

Jeff Zimmerman
Region 7 Coordinator
570-718-4613
jzimmerman@liu18.org

Resources