Monthly Connect

Improving Academic Outcomes for Foster & Homeless Youth

May- Foster Care Month

SPOTLIGHT - FOSTER CARE

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Foster child gets his fairytale ending when math teacher adopts him
Teacher Adopts Her Student: "Something Had To Be Done"

How to Become A Foster Parent

For children who have been abused or neglected, it’s understandably difficult to trust or get close to others. Those emotional barriers are not going to come down overnight, of course, but you can help the child one step at a time become more open and available. Those willing to serve as a resource parent and take on that challenge are doing something that will never be forgotten, for as long as the child lives. It all starts by evaluating the foster care requirements in Siskiyou County to see if you qualify to serve in this incredibly important role.

https://childrenfirstffa.com/


See attachment below for how to become a Resource Family Parent through Child Protective Services Siskiyou County.

FURS - Family Urgent Response System

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CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates

CASA Volunteers

CASA volunteers are adults who become stable, caring friends to abused and neglected children and strong voices in court on their behalf. A volunteer establishes a one-on-one relationship with a foster child and gives 2-3 hours per week communicating with the child (usually in person) and others involved in the child’s life while advocating for that child’s safety and best interest. Appointed by the court, CASAs ensure that our foster children don’t get lost in an overburdened system.https://yesiskiyou.org/casa/

LACOE - Foster Youth Coordinating Program Resources.

To create more awareness for students in foster care, they created a booklet full of resources that are beneficial to educators, resource families, child welfare staff, and more. In addition, they made several zoom backgrounds and social media graphics to highlight National Foster Care Month that are available for anyone to use. The booklet will be ready to view and download later during the first week of May.


https://www.lacoe.edu/Student-Services/Foster-Youth-Services#9977168-resources-for-schools-districts--partners

FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER

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SISKIYOU COUNTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CENTER

Foster Youth Resources

Foster Youth Resources

NEW: CHECK out the attached "Fast Facts". These were created for California FYSCP leaders and all stakeholders responsible for and supporting the education of students in foster care. Included here are federal and state legal frameworks, best practices across multiple topic areas, research findings in a variety of categories and in-depth citations to inform future research.


This Toolkit is designed to assist school districts in meeting the promise of LCFF for our foster youth. First, the Toolkit lays a foundation for school districts by providing comprehensive information on the education rights of foster youth along with step-by-step procedures to ensure foster youth receive the full benefit of laws designed to protect them. Second, the Toolkit provides easy-to-use implementation tools to help school districts move beyond this foundation of legal compliance to engagement in transformative best practices that will enable foster youth to achieve their college and career dreams.

https://allianceforchildrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/FosterYouthEducationToolkit_v3.pdf
Foster Youth Resources

SUPPORTING FOSTER YOUTH through the LCAP/MENU OF MEASURES


To support FYSCP efforts in measuring the impact of direct services for foster youth, the TAP team partnered with the American Bar Association (ABA), Center on Children and Law to create a menu of measures. See PDF below

McKinney-Vento Youth Resources

NCHE's Homeless Liaison Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that will assist both new and veteran local liaisons in carrying out their responsibilities. Updated to reflect the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the 2020 edition of the Homeless Liaison Toolkit includes requirements of the law, good practices, sample forms, and links to resources. Sixteen chapters on topics essential to implementing the McKinney-Vento Act synthesize in an easy-to-read format the essentials that local liaisons must know in order to carry out their responsibilities.

https://nche.ed.gov/homeless-liaison-toolkit/

LOCAL TRAININGS, UPDATES, RESOURCES, & INFORMATION

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W.I.N.S. Communication workshop

Due to popular demand, we have added another W.I.N.S. Communication workshop opportunity on May 23rd from 9am-12pm! You and your colleagues are invited to register here. Together, we'll learn simple, powerful brain-based tools to help people (yourself and others) feel more seen, heard and appreciated. Please share the attached flyer as you see fit. This opportunity is generously sponsored by the Foster Youth Technical Assistance Program (FYTAP) and made possible thanks to the hard work and leadership of Dr. Michelle Lustig!
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Webinars

Trauma-Informed Self-Care for Educators

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m.

Click here to register: https://lacoe.k12oms.org/2263-213882


This workshop will help participants understand the importance of self-care and wellness from a trauma-informed lens. It includes strategies and tools needed to create a self-care routine and

prevent compassion fatigue and burnout during a pandemic. Participants will engage in specific

activities that will aid them in identifying signs of burnout.



March:

MCKINNEY-VENTO SCHOOL SELECTION RIGHTS
Tuesday, March 08, 2022 | 2:00PM-3:00PM ET

DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR MCKINNEY-VENTO RIGHTS AND SERVICES
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 | 2:00PM-3:00PM ET

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About Us

About Us

About Us

The Siskiyou County Office of Education (SCOE) Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSCP) and Homeless Youth Program is an interservice agency that supports the 28 public school districts in Siskiyou County. The SCOE and Siskiyou County Human Services work together with other key agencies to develop workable strategies to eliminate barriers in the educational settings and assist foster youth students by providing a stable placement and helping them know their educational rights. The Foster Youth Services Program supports opportunities and assists in improving the quality of educational programming, placement, and service.


The Homeless Youth Program, provides support to homeless students and school districts through technical assistance and interagency collaboration around school stability, with the outcome of increasing academic success for students experiencing homelessness.

By working collaboratively with the Siskiyou County Human Services Agency and Child Protective Services (CPS) the foster youth assigned to group homes outside of Siskiyou County have the support services needed that are unique to each student.

bcollier@siskiyoucoe.net 530-842-8461 siskiyoucoe.net

Meet the Team

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Ameri-Corps Member - Isabel Greenman


Isabel Greenman has been with the Siskiyou County Office of Education Foster Youth Program for three years as an AmeriCorps service member. Isabel serves foster youth ages 14 years old through the transition to college. Isabel is creative, empathetic, and insightful. Isabel's support has been especially crucial during the pandemic where she was able to come up with creative ways to keep our youth engaged in distance learning, improving their academic success in the midst of uncertainty. Isabel is a strong advocate and understands the complexity of the child welfare system. Thank you Isabel for your service to the youth of Siskiyou County. You are incredible.

To contact Isabel: igreenman@siskiyoucoe.net or by phone (530) 598-6376

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UPDATED SISKIYOU COUNTY RESOURCE GUIDE