Youth who remain in foster care until they reach the age of 18 face grim prospects. The inconsistent educational experience of foster youth has a great impact on their future success. They face different homes, different schools, and few opportunities for advancement. Upon "aging out" of the foster care system, many young adults are highly disadvantaged and are confronted with young parenthood, unemployment, homelessness, reliance on public assistance, inadequate health insurance, severe mental illness, and incarceration. Foster youth are 20% less likely to graduate from high school than their peers and fewer than 6% earn a Bachelor's degree. Access to a quality education and a supportive environment is vital to foster youth.
First Star is promoting success after foster care through residential Foster Care Academies housed on campuses, like the Bruin Guardian Summer Immersion Program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). This 2011 summer program is the first scalable step toward establishing a year-round, residential prep school. The high school students who attend will begin preparing for college admission and for success after foster care. First Star's Foster Youth Academies aim to change the odds stacked against foster youth and to level the field for all young people by providing supportive, educational, residential and day programs on college and university campuses. The First Star programs will cultivate the desire to attend college as well as provide the academic, social, and emotional preparation necessary to be successful in a college setting and the tangible skills necessary to successfully transition into young adulthood. Abundant role models and experts plus a nurturing and exciting environment of inspiration and excellence will surround our students. First Star is consulting with national experts to create a well-planned program that will model the necessary professional guidance that these foster youth deserve. Our goal is to perfect the initial model and then replicate the program on campuses nationwide.
The Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services has written a letter of support for the program, as we look forward to this program to coming to fruition in the near future.
The First Star UCLA Bruin Guardian Academy at UCLA is funded through the generosity of our sponsors: Mario Batali Foundation, Hasbro Childrens Foundation, Stuart Foundation, Sage Publications, California Community Foundation and the College Board Foundation.