Citrus College helps at-risk students overcome obstacles
Citrus College supports foster youth in their pursuit of higher education by helping to break down barriers to academic achievement.
College completion rates have been a national topic of discussion for years. While achievement gaps exist for all students, one group is especially vulnerable. Statistics show that only 3% of former foster youth obtain college degrees. Lack of stability, adverse childhood experiences and the absence of supportive relationships are barriers that foster youth face when pursuing higher education.
However, Citrus College is working to help this important student population overcome these obstacles and achieve success.
One way the college empowers current and former foster youth is through the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI). Recognizing that there is a significant deficit regarding foster youth in higher education, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office introduced FYSI in 2007. Since that time, each of the state's 116 community colleges have added at least one FYSI liaison to their campus. The goals of the initiative include enhancing foster students' access to resources and support, increasing retention and improving academic performance. To meet these goals, Citrus College has created a network for foster youth that involves a variety of on-campus student services.
One aspect of this network is the Guardian Scholars program. Made possible by FYSI and designed to increase access and retention, Guardian Scholars provides unique services, academic support and personal guidance to those students who are, or have been, part of the state's foster care system. After applying, students receive specialized academic and career counseling, priority registration, financial aid assistance, student success workshops, meal assistance, access to school supplies and textbooks and more.
The Guardian Scholars program is administered through the Citrus College Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE) and Resource Family Approval (RFA) programs. Launched by the Chancellor's Office in 1984, FKCE didn't become available at Citrus College until 1990. At the time, the program was focused on helping educate adults who were interested in providing care for related and unrelated children in out-of-home placement. Although its role has expanded to include the support of foster students, Citrus College's FKCE and RFA programs continue to remain committed to meeting the training needs of prospective and continuing caregivers.
Resource parents, or those individuals certified to be foster or adoptive parents, face unique challenges when it comes to helping raise the youth in their care. Citrus College provides support and educational tools to help guide these individuals on their journeys. Training is available in both English and Spanish and covers a variety of topics, ranging from fetal alcohol syndrome and discipline to emancipation and financial aid.
In addition to providing services for foster youth and support for resource parents, the Citrus College FKCE and RFA programs also offer a schedule of events, seminars and conferences throughout the year. Whether it is the financial aid workshop hosted at the beginning of the year, the Guardian Scholars orientation held during the summer or the MAPfest resource fair for transitional youth that takes place every August, each event is designed to help meet the educational, emotional, behavioral and developmental needs of children in the foster care system.
Although the ongoing global pandemic has made it necessary for all classes and services to be offered virtually, the Citrus College FKCE and RFA programs have continued to provide excellent services to caregivers and foster youth. The office, which is located in the college's Integrated Success Center, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
As the Azusa area's representative on the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees, I am inspired by Citrus College's commitment to helping foster youth. By helping break down barriers to academic achievement and supporting foster youth in their pursuit of higher education, the college is giving this vulnerable student population a chance for a brighter future.
This article by Anthony Contreras, Ed.D., Citrus College Governing Board Member, appeared in Patch News (Glendora edition) on February 10, 2022.