Resources

California has made significant investments to ensure current and former foster youth can succeed in higher education. The creation of a statewide network of public campus support programs, funded at $68 million annually, is among its most significant achievements. This analysis examines how the Cost of Attendance (COA) adjustment process is functioning across California’s public higher education systems and whether it enables students participating in foster youth campus support programs to access the financial support these programs are designed to provide.

This review examined the transparency of Cost of Attendance (COA) adjustment processes on the publicly available websites of California’s public colleges and universities. Federal financial aid rules allow institutions to adjust a student’s COA when documented educational expenses exceed standard budget estimates. These adjustments can enable students to access financial aid sufficient to meet their expenses.

This guide outlines benefits and resources available to youth and young adults in California based on their status as current or former foster youth. Areas covered include foster care and legal permanency; benefits for parenting foster youth; housing support after foster care; college housing, access, enrollment, and financial aid benefits; mental and physical health benefits; and tax credits.

This webinar walked attendees through a toolkit released by JBAY to assist county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and their partners, providing strategies for increasing the number of current and former foster youth who receive the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC), including the new county mailing required by Senate Bill 624 (Caballero, 2025).

This toolkit assists county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and their partners, providing strategies for increasing the number of current and former foster youth who receive the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC), including the new county mailing required by Senate Bill 624 (Caballero, 2025).

This free course, available on the Udemy platform, is a virtual, asynchronous training for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site personnel to learn about the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC) and how to assist current and former foster youth.

This webinar featured a study from the Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub), which conducted an analysis linking CalYOUTH and state administrative data to better understand how extended foster care and the types of placements young people receive shape their risk of homelessness.

This “how-to” webinar is to assist those working with California’s foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The webinar will review the FAFSA and CADAA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible students can qualify as independent students for the purposes of maximizing financial aid. Presenters will also provide information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or CADAA is completed, such as creating a WebGrants account and claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship. In addition, attendees received important updates on state and federal policies relevant to the financial aid process.

This report, commissioned by the Stuart Foundation, provides a comprehensive overview of educational outcomes for students in foster care, highlighting persistent disparities despite decades of reform. It identifies “bright spot” districts achieving better results and points to personalized, relationship-based case management, coaching, and mentoring as effective strategies for improving outcomes. The publication offers guidance for policymakers, districts, and practitioners seeking to advance equity and improve educational outcomes for foster youth.

This web seminar marked the release of a report highlighting how targeted state investments have reduced youth homelessness in California by 24% between 2019 and 2024. The webinar shared a statewide analysis of local homelessness actions plans, showing how communities are using the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program to address youth homelessness. HHAP has a “youth set-aside,” requiring that jurisdictions direct at least 10% of their HHAP allocation toward addressing youth homelessness. The webinar also featured two providers operating HHAP-funded programs serving youth.