Christopher Berry’s troubles started long before he killed his infant son in 2013. After surviving a suicide bombing and returning from Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress in 2011, Berry racked up arrests for allegedly shoving his teenage girlfriend, deliberately running over pigeons, and stealing from his employer. Yet, when state social workers got a report that [...]
Nick Anderson of the Washington Post wrote on September 3, 2015. Scores on the SAT have sunk to the lowest level since the college admission test was overhauled in 2005, adding to worries about student performance in the nation’s high schools. The average score for the Class of 2015 was 1490 out of a maximum [...]
In an article in the Missoulian written by HOLBROOK MOHR and AMY BETH HANSON of AP, Montana child welfare officials have reiterated their position that state law prohibits disclosure of information about child abuse deaths despite a warning from the federal government that continued secrecy could jeopardize grant money. Officials at Montana's Department of Public [...]
One of California's largest private foster care agencies is under fire over allegations of torture and abuse that are outlined in a 76-page lawsuit. The suit alleges foster care children endured physical and mental abuse of a seven-year period, abuse allegedly covered up by the Rancho Cucamonga-based Interim Care Foster Family Agency, which recruited and [...]
If you follow our Facebook page, you may already know that a group of foster youth from the First Star Bruin Guardians Academy have been learning - and teaching - lessons about giving. These young high school foster youth are in in the middle of the David Nathan Meyerson Random Acts of Kindness and Pay it [...]
We just saw this article by Beth Greenfield, at Yahoo! Parenting, about something that keeps us up at night: What Happens When Foster Kids ‘Age Out’ of the System The facts are sobering, and motivate us to do what we do every day. Here's an excerpt from the article: About 400,000 kids of all ages are [...]
April 20, 2015
The college graduation rate for students who have lived in foster care is 3 percent, among the lowest of any demographic group in the country. And this rate is unlikely to improve unless community colleges institute formal programs to assist foster youth both financially and academically, concludes a new study by researchers at University of the Pacific.
April 16, 2015
While April 15th is far from a national holiday, it is an occasion that brings together millions of Americans, often for complaining and commiserating rather than celebrating. Indeed, in 2014 the IRS received 136,887,000 tax returns, some eligible for refunds and others accompanied by a payment to make up a shortfall in money owed.
April 16, 2015
Research at the University of Chicago turned up important findings a few years ago about the approximately 26,000 foster youth nationally who “age out” of the child welfare system each year.
April 9, 2015
Not so long ago, if foster children in Florida wanted to spend the night at a friend's house, the parents hosting the sleepover faced a criminal background check. Taking the kids on an out-of-state vacation required official permission from a state agency.