MAY 14, 2020 — In honor of Foster Care Awareness Month, the Bexar County Fostering Educational Success pilot program is launching a webinar series to highlight higher education access and the holistic needs of students with a history of foster care.
The first in the series begins May 18 with Focus: Youth & Support in Higher Education and Beyond.
“This webinar series will allow for the pilot staff and partner agencies to showcase our commitment to increasing the number of children in foster care in Bexar County who understand that attending college is achievable and expected and are academically and emotionally prepared to do so,” said UTSA’s Airika Buford, project director of Bexar County Fostering Educational Success.
Buford added that the series’ goal is to connect youth locally and statewide to “accurate information, remove barriers to higher education access, and inform the community of the collaborative and innovative model involved” in the project’s work.
Nearly 35,000 children are in the Texas foster care system with about 3,500, or 10%, living in Bexar County. Each year 1,200 children age out of the foster care system in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
The Bexar County Fostering Educational Success pilot program is a countywide collaboration between UTSA, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, the Alamo Colleges District, Bexar County Children’s Court and Child Advocates San Antonio.
The program is meant to position Texas to become a national leader in increasing the number of children in foster care who are academically and emotionally ready to succeed in college.
The collaboration, launched last fall, is a complement to UTSA’s Fostering Educational Success Center as an opportunity to help students with a history of foster care overcome the unique challenges they face in pursuing higher education.
Webinar Series Schedule
Monday, May 18, 3–4 p.m.
Focus: Youth & Support in Higher Education and Beyond
This presentation will educate youth on all of the resources available to support them in higher education. Information will be provided on tuition waiver, ETV, Medicaid, extended foster care and supervised independent living by the Preparation for Adult Living program, BCFSS, Superior Health & Family Tapestry, and THRU Project.
Tuesday, May 19, 1–2:30 p.m.
Focus: Research Child Welfare, Higher Education & Student Success
The series’ second webinar will focus on the history of higher education of youth who’ve aged out of foster care, providing information on education trends, barriers to academic success and need for higher education support for foster youth in Bexar County. UTSA first lady Peggy Eighmy, Vice Provost for Student Success Tammy Wyatt and BCFES lead evaluator Megan Hayes Piel will lead this presentation.
Wednesday, May 20, 2–3:30 p.m.
Focus: Bexar County Fostering Educational Success
This presentation will highlight the Fostering Educational Success pilot in Bexar County while providing information on BCFES pilot goals, progress, collaborative frameworks, innovative practices and strategic action groups. BCFES pilot director and representatives from Strategic Action Groups will host this webinar.
Thursday, May 21, 1–2:30 p.m.
Focus: Direct Support
Representatives from UTSA, College Bound Docket, Alamo College District, and Texas A&M–San Antonio will discuss the direct support available to students who participate in the BCFES pilot program.
Friday, May 22, 3–4 p.m.
Focus: Youth Engagement, Voice & Advocacy
YEAH (Family Tapestry), YAB (SARAH) and the Youth Action Council (BCFES) will talk about youth advisory committees, virtual recruitment session for precollege programming, youth advocacy groups and campus-based programs.
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