By Bonnie Loughner, Assistant Vice President, Fostering College Success Initiative

At The Foundling, we believe that education opens the doors of opportunity for children and young adults, and academic support is a prominent component of the work we do. Students in foster care often lack the support systems they need for academic success, and too often don’t graduate college as a result. By providing mentorship, tutoring, and other forms of support, the Fostering College Success Initiative (FCSI) works to fill this need. The Foundling partners with New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and City University of New York (CUNY) to produce this program, and together we provide opportunities and resources to help college students beat the odds.

In the past year, the program has had some exciting developments.

Increasing our Reach

We’re expanding the network of schools we partner with, providing more young people in foster care with the opportunity to join the program and receive support. Although 95% of our college students are enrolled in CUNY, we now also have students attending College of Mount Saint Vincent, Pace University, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Alfred State, SUNY Broome Community College, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Expanding Career Opportunities

In the past, the Fostering College Success Initiative program has focused mostly on connecting students with college coaches and tutors, but we’re now looking beyond that to the next step—guiding them to employment. In summer 2020, we added a Career Counseling unit to the services we provide, and in 2021 we were able to expand these services in partnership with the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation. Our dedicated team of career counselors helps students with resumes, cover letters, mock interviews, and networking. We also connect them to opportunities like job fairs, panels, career events, and job/internship placements.

We’re also working on bolstering our partnerships, with the goal of increasing access to unique and targeted internship opportunities for our students.

For example, for the first time this summer – and with the assistance of our partners at ACS – we were able to coordinate an internship program as a paid professional development program through DYCD’s Summer Youth Employment program. For six weeks, students with an interest in business were paired with mentors from Goldman Sachs and attended sessions focusing on personal finance, job advice, and professional development. In addition to learning job skills and receiving mentorship, the students also worked on marketing-themed projects that provided Goldman Sachs with actionable data they’ll use to recruit and retain diverse talent. Previously, students who’ve completed programs like this one were ultimately hired by the company.

In addition to Goldman Sachs, FCSI’s internship program has also placed our students in office positions within the NYPD, ACS, and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Inspiring and Connecting Students

As a source of inspiration for our students, we’ve launched a quarterly Speaker Series that highlights the voices of prior youth in care. These adults, who are now successful business professionals, know what it’s like to be in the foster care system, and how to move past these challenges to lead a successful life.  Not only do these speakers inspire and provide motivation for students, they’re also a source of practical insight and guidance. We hope to attract future speakers from across the country to participate.

We also launched our new Fostering College Success Initiative website, which contains an online portal for everything our students need—announcements, events, etc. Also, while the program had previously enrolled students at the beginning of each semester, we now have moved towards rolling admissions, allowing us to support students as soon as they need assistance.

Moving Forward

All the college residences of the schools our students attend are now open after being closed last year during the pandemic. Many of our students are back in dorms, while others have opted to stay in the community with friends, family, or foster parents. While some of our students have returned to in-person classes, others became comfortable with online learning and prefer to continue that way. We also have students returning for a fresh start after taking a break year during the pandemic. Regardless of their path, they’ve been so resilient, and we’re there to help make adapting and adjusting easier.

The Foundling is committed to providing our students in care with the tools and opportunities that allow them to achieve success. That’s why we’re always tailoring our programs, expanding our reach, and opening doors to meet the needs of our students in the ever-changing academic and career landscape.

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The Foundling’s Fostering College Success Initiative program is generously supported by the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation and the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation.

The Foundling operates 44 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers across Puerto Rico, reaching nearly 1,500 students and families each year. From hurricanes and earthquakes to the pandemic, their spirit, determination, and drive remain strong. Learn about the impact the program has had on Bianca – one of our parents – and how she went from benefiting from Foundling services to volunteering on the parent council of Head Start.

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“Parents are the teachers in the long run,” noted Betzaida Gonzalez, Child Development and Education Manager, “and now more than ever, we are walking hand in hand with students, parents, grandparents, and extended families. We’re giving them not only the school supplies and household essentials they’ve needed throughout the pandemic, but also serving as a foundation of support.”

For many families, including Bianca’s (featured in the photo above), the ongoing phone calls, text messages, emails, and support from Head Start teachers and staff this year has represented yet another instance of how The Foundling has continually provided her and her family with the ability to stand tall in times of uncertainty.

Bianca, now a mother of three, came to The Foundling’s Early Head Start Center in San Juan when she learned she was pregnant with her first son, Kermitt. She received pre-natal guidance and encouragement throughout her entire pregnancy, and when her son was born, received support and resources she needed as a new mom.

She later returned to The Foundling’s Head Start Center with questions and concerns about Kermitt and meeting all of his developmental milestones. Working in partnership with Head Start specialists, Bianca learned that Kermitt had mild attention deficit challenges. Kermitt began to receive the services and help he needed to succeed in school. Now 10 years old, Kermitt is on the Honor Roll in school, and Bianca’s two younger daughters are currently receiving support and services through Head Start as well – and throughout the pandemic, they’ve enjoyed participating in video lessons and home-based projects.

Bianca’s children are thriving today—and she is too. In fact, Bianca has become an assistant teacher in her community and remains involved with The Foundling as the Secretary of the Head Start Parent Council.

 

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Want to learn more? Read recent updates on our Head Start and Early Head Start programs:

• Our Work Continues: Making a Difference in Early Childhood Education
• NY1 In Focus: Bill Baccaglini Discusses Puerto Rico

Written by:
Reïna Y. Batrony Cine, LMHC, Vice President, Community Based Services
Joni Rivera, MSEd, Assistant Vice President, Educational Services

For years, education has been at the forefront of our work at The New York Foundling. In fact, it’s a promise we make to each child we serve in our Foster Care programs. Through our collective work opening Mott Haven Academy Charter School in 2008, designing a one of a kind tutoring program in 2014, and creating a college success initiative with CUNY and ACS in 2016, we have remained focused not only on the safety and well-being of those who walk through our doors, but on education and the bright future it holds.

We are excited for what’s in store for the students we work with across New York City.

One of our biggest initiatives for 2021 is expanding the reach of Road to Success. This work began last year and is growing even more. We are now tutoring students in kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. Our Afterschool Allies program, which began in 2019 as a small pilot program serving grades K-5, has now been folded into Road to Success, which will allow us to double our enrollment of elementary-aged students—from close to 25 to 50 students—by December of this year. A student’s ability to read at grade-level is strongly predictive of their future academic success, and we’re excited to reach more children once they enter kindergarten. The sooner we close the learning gaps that we often see with children who enter foster care, the sooner we can improve academic outcomes as they enter middle school, high school, and plan for college.

Additionally, we launched Road to Success Citywide with the goal of providing a long-term tutor to every 7^th–12^th grade student in foster care across New York City (making our efforts city-wide!).  As a member of Fair Futures, a city-wide coalition of social services agencies that provides coaching, mentoring, and advocacy for children in foster care from middle school through age 26, we hope to reach more young people in the years ahead. If we can secure enough funding from the City, the Fair Futures initiative will be a gamechanger for all teenagers and young adults in foster care. Both Road to Success and Road to Success Citywide were founded in partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation—a steadfast supporter of The Foundling since 2013.

Another new initiative planned for 2021 is a 12-week STEM program for students in grades 6-12 who are enrolled in any of our tutoring programs. Participants will complete virtual classes each week to learn computer literacy skills, including how to code and create digital art. In the final weeks of the program, students will take the skills they learned to work on a project for their college portfolio – from the creation of a game to digital artwork.

We believe that the path to a better, brighter future for children in foster care is with education. 2020 was a challenging year, yet our students continued to grow, showing a testament to their perseverance and the efficacy of Foundling-run educational programs. We look forward to seeing even more success this year—and in the years to come.

The Foundling’s tutoring and educational support programs for young people in foster care are generously supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Foster Care Excellence Fund in The New York Community Trust, Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, Blanche T. Enders Charitable Trust, and Con Edison.