Foster youth tend to have a rough time in school. They are more likely to change homes and schools multiple times midyear, and can miss a lot of classes for reasons beyond their control. We spoke to foster youth advocate Dylan Tatom, who shared her educational experiences as a foster student and how she discovered her voice. La Shona Jenkins, who leads foster youth educational services for Los Angeles County, expressed the importance of cross-sector collaboration and supporting each foster student’s unique needs.

How can schools holistically support students in foster care?

Guest speaker 1: Dylan Tatom, Youth Advisory Board Member, The Center for Fair Futures

Guest speaker 2: La Shona Jenkins, Project Director, Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Interviewer: Joseph Bishop, Executive Director & co-founder, UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools

Among Us is a podcast by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Geneva Sum is the host and Creative Director. Joseph Bishop is the Interviewer. Elizabeth Windom is the Supervising Producer. Julia Windom is the Editor. Caitlyn McAloon is the Production Coordinator. J Woodward is the Senior Producer. Among Us is produced by Windhaven Productions and Bluejay Atlantic.

Join the CTS mailing list

Follow CTS or share your thoughts with us at ctschools@ucla.edu.

Show Notes:

• Fair Futures Youth Advisory Board
• Annie E. Casey Foundation Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative
• LACOE's Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSCP)
• Department of Children and Family Services
• AB 130
• Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.