Previous CalYOUTH memos suggest that the overwhelming majority (upwards of 85%) of youth in California foster care who go to college first attend an in-state, public, 2-year college. The current memo takes a closer look at the types of colleges that foster youth enroll in, including average retention rates and the number of semesters completed at…

Studies have shown that, aside from student differences, the college that a student attends plays a role in their likelihood of remaining in college and ultimately earning a degree. Increasing attention has been given to "undermatching," which occurs when a student enrolls in a college for which they are overqualified, based on their…

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) contracted with three child welfare providers that operate transitional living (TLP) or independent living (ILO) programs (or both) to implement LifeSet, an intensive case management program developed by Youth Villages, for youth in care who are 17.5 to 21 years old. LifeSet helps…

This brief describes the relationship between placement stability and youth engagement in the Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP), a program developed and implemented by the Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) for 14- to 20-year-olds in foster care who have multiple risk factors for experiencing homelessness. The authors used program data…

Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) is a relationship-based, collaborative support designed to improve the capacity of early childhood professionals to promote children's mental health. Social and emotional development is the foundation for success in learning and in life. It begins in children's early relationships with…

Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) is a relationship-based, collaborative support designed to improve the capacity of early childhood professionals to promote children's mental health. Social and emotional development is the foundation for success in learning and in life. It begins in children's early relationships with…

Graduating from college is a life-transforming achievement for young people with foster care backgrounds. Not only do the majority of adolescents in foster care aspire to finish college, but holding a degree has been associated with an increased likelihood of being employed and having higher earnings. Still, existing research estimates that fewer…

Few studies have examined the experiences of community college students who are or were in foster care. Consequently, relatively little is known about why young people in foster care choose to enroll in community college, what happens to those young people once they enroll, or whether they are receiving the supports they need to achieve their…

Since March 2020, states across the country have taken extreme measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Stay-at-home orders and deteriorating economic conditions have placed families under stress, while children home from school have diminished exposure to adults who might detect and report abuse and neglect. There are…

This report presents findings from the "CalYOUTH Wave 4 Youth Survey." CalYOUTH (the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study), is an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act on outcomes during foster youth's transition to adulthood. CalYOUTH includes collection and analysis of information…

The Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP) in Alameda County, California blends service coordination, intensive case management, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help transition-age youth in foster care engage with available support systems and subsequently improve their outcomes. As part of a formative evaluation of YTP, Chapin Hall…

This Formative Evaluation Lessons Learned template captures the major findings and lessons learned from the formative evaluation of the Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP) program in Alameda County, California. The YTP program is an intervention built around the core components of intensive case management and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).…

The Chicago Young Parents Program (CYPP) is a two-generation pilot program, combining youth employment and mentoring with comprehensive Head Start programming for participants' children and their families. CYPP was designed to improve parenting, personal growth, and family self-sufficiency through education and employment. This study was designed…

Afterschool programs can offer enriching opportunities, homework help and a safe environment. To ensure that these programs are cohesive, high-quality and widely available, many cities have designed community-wide systems to coordinate the various afterschool programs offered by different providers. Having a way to collect and share reliable data…

Established in 2010, the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being focus on identifying and nurturing 15 promising doctoral students each year from multiple disciplines. The program engages fellows for two years to collectively address child well-being by applying research-based solutions to policy and practice challenges. The…