LANCASTER — Antelope Valley Community College District’s governing board on Dec. 13 unanimously approved an agreement with the Los Angeles County Office of Education for the Foster Care Education Program for resource families.
The no-cost agreement serves as the basis for establishing a joint collaboration to provide training for resource parents, previously known as foster families.
The LA County Office of Education Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program provides support services for students who experience the traumatic effects of being removed from their home, school instability and multiple placements, according to the agreement. The goal is to build capacity and increase multi-sector collaboration amongst child welfare, probation, education and community agencies to improve educational outcomes for students in foster care, the agreement said.
The partners in the program include 80 school districts and 369 charter schools. Other partners include biological parents with an open court case, resource parents and court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, and probation officers.
The program offers free training on topics such as Navigating Your Local School District; Foster Youth Laws; Introduction to Trauma-Informed Practices; Human Trafficking; and Supporting the Mental Health of Students in Foster Care.
The Foster and Kinship Care Education program was established in 1984 following the passage of the Foster Children and Parent Training Act. The act designated the California Community College Chancellor’s Office as the agency to administer the program, according to the agreement.
AV College’s Foster and Kinship Care Education Program is one of 47 community colleges in the state that provides trainings to resource parents.
