[mossy2]

Have any of you foster parents sent your foster child to college?

What happens with your stipend when the child is living out of your home? I have found some info on the various grants our fd might receive. I assume she will receive money from DSS to live on, and I also assume our stipend will end when she goes to college.

What about when she returns for visits, or vacations or breaks? Is there any financial support to be recieved to help with the travel expenses of her going back and forth to us?

I have asked for information from our FD's caseworker and he forwarded a brief email to me with the grant name, but I don't have answers about the financial end of things. Our FD is an interstate transfer, so getting info is like pulling teeth!!!

She is a high school junior now, and really wants to go to college (yipee). Her grades are horrible but she is taking interest for the first time ever so I am hopeful!!!

[rindava]

just about every state is currently picking up the cost for community college after all other aide has been tapped....

locally, no, unless you want to let the child come live with you on his/her breaks out of the kindness of your heart, the child has no where...

Some states are doing a much better job. some states are actually free offereing tution to just about any in state student (West Virginia, Oklahoma) who make c average and passes college classes...

Locally kids in foster care at age 16 are put on an independent living track, they are given a lot of education on what it takes to live as an adult, how to get and keep a job, manage money, explore oppertunities, the military, etc...

in some cases, vary rare, foster parents can be paid on the weekends, breaks the kids come home, until the person is 21...this is also true for special ed kids who are in foster care and can stay in high school until they are 21....but other locaities start pushing them into adult group homes at 17 and up...

most people though, with loans and grants, should be able to attend some state school and make it through the 4 years....they sure can't eat like a king or anything....and actually in our state we get a lot of international students who the college provide year round housing to, and if the young adult comes from fostercare and lets the right school offical know, they can probably get year round housing as well...I had a girl in my dorm that did that...

[Happy123]

When our foster daughter turned 18 she was a senior in high school. Her stipend ended when she graduated high school. We encouraged her to go to college. We helped her apply for financial aid. She was to get a grant for foster children through the state of California ($5000 per year, but they ran out of funds. She lived with us for her freshman year of college without any financial assistance for us. She moved out last year. She attends college, gets some federal and state aid, but nothing else. We still help out financially. If it were not for us, she would have no one and probably would not be in school now.

Happy123

[mossy2]

Did she choose to leave foster care? Our FD can remain in care until age 21 i believe. I am assuming the stipend will go to her directly. What about the federal grant program for foster children, ETV Grant, it should be $5,000 a year? Did your caseworker provide any guidance at all in this process?

[mossy2]

Luckily, our FD is in custody of MA which does have a tuition waiver program. She is an interstate transfer and lives with us in NY so its harder to get info for us. The caseworker we have here (we currently do not have a caseworker ours quit) doesn't know what applies to MA kids. The caseworker we have in MA communicates via email to me but its a really slow process and he doesn't know much about what is available either. He is trying to find out for us and forwarded an email to me but it didn't tell me all I need to know!

My fd has been a very poor student and is now improving her grades so I do not know how it will bode for her. She has some Fs, Ds, Cs, Bs and As now...

[echobunny89]

My foster children's SW told me that in Rhode Island the kids can stay in care until they are 21 unless the child decides to end services themselves at 18. RI also provided free tuition to any state college (CCRI, URI and RIC) which I think is a great deal because we have some really good schools here. I am a full-time student myself at RIC (Rhode Island College).

[Happy123]

mossy2-In California is stops at 18 or when they graduate high school. The $5,000 grant was applied for, but she was denied because of lack of funding. The got the tuiton waiver grant last year, but made just over the income limit this year so they told her they were not sure if she would get it again.

I really think that our state could do a better job of assisting aging out teens.

[mossy2]

Wow! I guess they sure could do a better job. Since we are an interestate transfer no mention of the aging out process/services has been made. I am writing for info to her home state. What a tricky process.

[Happy123]

Another idea is to start applying for scholarships. With their fairly diverse backgrounds, there are many out there.

My daughter's friend got a $400 one just for writing an essay on how much pink she had in her closet. Only four had applied for it. Many high schoolers think that there are to many applicants, which is not always correct.
Happy123