Video: What It’s Like to Foster A Teen

I tried to find some trendy info graphic listing out the Top Ten Reasons to Foster a Teen” but obviously came up with nothing.

I will say this – it is AWESOME and you should consider helping a teen. Like right now. Quit reading this, call your local Children’s Administration, and get the ball rolling on your license. Together we can get these kids out of shelters, off of office floors, out of hotel stays under the supervision of social workers and in normal loving homes where they belong. (Have questions or concerns about the process? Send me a direct message and I’ll give you my cell number so we can talk. The good. The bad. The ugly… it’s mostly good.)

I got a call from my 15 year old foster daughter via the school landline today around noon. She was calling to “say Hi” and also to see if it would be okay for her to stay late after school and get some help on her geometry homework during tutoring hours. She wanted to make sure 1) it was okay with me and 2) if I could please pick her up at 4:30pm in front of the school. Uh, YEAH! I’m so proud of this girl and how hard she’s working to meet goals and create change for her life.

Did you know:

• less than half of foster youth graduate high school or receive their GED
• foster youth switch schools on average 1-2 times per year and are twice as likely to be absent from school than other students
• foster youth lose an average of 4-6 months of educational attainment each time they change schools
• foster students also have lower enrollment rates in community college, and have lower rates of persistence for a second year of community college than other disadvantaged students
• median earnings among employed former foster youth were just 59% their peer’s income. Former foster youth are also more likely to rely on government assistance