Gregoire signs bill to aid college-bound foster youth

Kayla Webley
2005-04-21
The Daily

Former foster youth will get some extra help pursuing post-secondary education thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire yesterday.

House Bill 1079 sets former foster children between the ages 18 and 24 as a priority to receive state need-based grants and work study opportunities. The Higher Education Coordinating Board will be directed to give special consideration to foster youth when administering grants.

The bill only applies to those foster children who were dependent on the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) when they turned 18.

"These students are facing so many challenges to begin with," said David Del Villar Fox, legislative coordinator for DSHS children's administration. "Any help we can provide them would be useful."

According to a 2003 study of the 470 youth who turned 18 while in foster care, 161 planned on attending college, said Jerry Gilliland, spokesperson for Gregoire.

"It gives children who are in the foster care system a little better opportunity to pursue higher education," said Gilliland. "They are not going to be financially well-off when they turn 18 and are off the foster care system. This gives them a little boost."

Foster youth in high school are at a disadvantage, considering only 35 percent graduate from high school, said Janis Avery, executive director of Treehouse for Kids. The Seattle-based foster care organization focuses on funding children's "everyday" activities not typically covered by other agencies.

"Even those who manage to graduate tend to not have the information they need to plan for post-secondary education," said Avery.

Setting foster youth as a priority over other groups of students for need-based grants will not affect the availability of these grants to others, said Gilliland. Foster youth make up a small percentage of those receiving the grants; approximately 53,000 students in Washington receive the grants each year.

Making foster youth a priority will also not affect the approximately 7,700 students that participate in work-study programs every year, said Gilliland.