Program Aims To Provide Support To College Bound Foster Kids

From managing time to budgeting money, there's no shortage of challenges for college students. However, those issues are magnified for foster youth who don't have the same safety nets that other students do to fall back on. With that in mind, Western Michigan University has built a network of campus coaches that provide round the clock support for foster youth, and thanks to a 700 thousand dollar grant from the Kresge Foundation, organizers plan to launch a statewide initiative to stimulate similar efforts on all Michigan college campuses. WMU Professor of Social Work Yvonne Unrau says that the goal is to build on what's already working on campuses in Michigan. She notes that making those dreams of higher education a reality means reaching out at a very early age to foster youth to provide information about college, and to let them know they will have support to deal with whatever issues come up:

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In partnership with the Michigan College Access Network, the statewide initiative will include creating a website to promote foster youth college access and success. Unrau says she hopes to reach foster kids by age 12, so that they will begin considering college as they're entering high school. Traditionally, the odds have been stacked against foster youth and their college aspirations. National statistics show that while 70 percent of foster kids express a desire to attend college, fewer than three percent actually end up earning a degree.