The Problem
Each year, approximately 2,000 children age out of foster care when they turn 18 or, for those who live in states that offer extended time in care, as late as 21. Yet, these children lack proper resources to establish safe and flourishing life. Instead:
• Just 56% of youth in foster care earn a high school diploma or GED by age 19.
• Youth who have spent time in foster care have the same college aspirations as
their peers, yet just 10% graduate and at most 4% earn a 4-year degree.
• One-third of youth will experience homelessness, one-third will be neither
working nor in school, and over half of males and one-third of females will be
arrested within several years of aging out of care.
• One longitudinal study found just 48% of foster alumni were employed at age
23 and earned just $8,000, far below their non-fostered