Programs

At Foster Care to Success, we’re very proud of our students’ high 60% graduation rate. That’s almost three times the graduation rate for independent students. It’s even more striking when compared with a 3% college graduation rate for foster youth in general.

Such success does not come easily. Our students are motivated and work very hard to overcome the obstacles of an inconsistent primary education, lack of family support, and financial insecurity. The FCS staff and our network of caring volunteers also work hard on behalf of these young people, providing academic coaching, personal and career mentoring, care packages and internships.

• MENTORING - It’s human nature. People try harder and succeed more often when they have people cheering them on. To that end, FCS mentors connect online with students to provide advice, support and encouragement to stay in school.

• ACADEMIC COACHING - The FCS Academic Success Program (ASP) helps keep students at risk of failing or dropping out on track through structured one-on-one online and telephone coaching, and a facebook community. ASP mentors teach students how to manage their time, study, and use campus resources.

• CARE PACKAGES - Letters and goody boxes from home are important morale boosters for college students. Sadly, most foster youth rarely receive them, so Foster Care to Success and FedEx stepped in with the care package program. Volunteers compile and mail thousands of boxes filled with basic necessities and small gifts three times a year to FCS students as a tangible reminder that people care about them.

• RED SCARF PROJECT - Volunteers across the country knit and crochet red scarves, which are traditionally included in the FCS Valentine’s Day Care Package along with chocolate, cookies and handmade cards. The Red Scarf Fund was started by knitter Norma Miller as an emergency fund to help students pay for urgent expenses such as medical bills, transportation or housing.

• INTERNSHIPS – The competitive InternAmerica Program places Foster Care to Success students in corporations, nongovernmental agencies and Congressional offices each summer. Interns receive travel and housing allowances as well as a stipend. Our interns have worked at the White House, the Smithsonian Institution, the Children’s Defense Fund, the Metropolitan Council of Governments, the Siemens Corporation, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and in the Capitol Hill offices of senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle. FCS also develops and facilitates internship opportunities for foster youth with local businesses, agencies and government offices across the country.

Interested in helping Foster Care to Success students gain real world experience on the job? Contact Lynn Davis, FCS Director of Partnership Development, to learn how your organization can participate.