College-Bound Teens Aging Out of Foster Care |
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This August, many New Jersey teens will prepare to leave home for college – this is often a very challenging transition, but for those leaving foster care and lacking a traditional family support system, this transition can be even more daunting.
Teens graduating from foster care within the State of New Jersey are eligible for free tuition, room and board, and assistance with books and transportation costs if they study within the state. But there are many more expenses related to pursuing a college education. These young people often have no other means of financial assistance to fund clothing, toiletries or other living expenses, including rent during vacation time.
Recent statistics show that youth who have aged out of foster care often experience extreme difficulties after leaving their care settings:
- Only 50% will graduate from high school or obtain a GED; only 15% a 2 or 4 year college degree.
- 50% of the chronically homeless grew up in foster care.
- 50% of aged-out males will become involved with the criminal justice system.
- 60% of young women will have a baby within 4 years.
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It doesn’t have to be this way. With the right support, teens leaving foster care can be better equipped to succeed. Children’s Aid and Family Services has a reliable track record in preparing its teens for the future. Not only do 100 percent of high school aged teens in the agency’s care graduate thanks to donor support, we are able to be there for them after they leave our care.
Children’s Aid and Family Services aims to provide our teens not only with a strong grounding in the skills they need to live independently once they leave our care, but also with the ability to focus on their college studies without the additional pressure of having no income to support themselves. It is our belief that nothing will give these teens a stronger foundation for the future than a good education.
The Thomas R. S. Burgin Parents Fund, initially launched in 2004 to provide assistance to teens attending college or vocational schools, allows Children’s Aid and Family Services to provide financial awards to former foster care teens.
We especially seek funding for laptop computers so that aged out teens can pursue their studies more easily.
Fund awards are tailored to meet the specific needs of individual aged-out teens, with support also available in times of crisis.
The Thomas R. S. Burgin Parents Fund is not an endowed fund, so we need your help in supporting aged-out teens during this important transitional period in their lives.
The Redlich Horwitz Foundation, a New Jersey and New York non-profit, has already proposed a matching challenge grant for the first $20,000 raised toward the Thomas R.S. Burgin Parents Fund. You too can help Children’s Aid and Family Services support the educational success and future of these bright, young students.
Please send a donation to Children’s Aid and Family Services and indicate that you would like the gift to be designated to the Thomas R. S. Burgin Parents Fund. To contribute:
By mail:
Development Department
Children’s Aid and Family Services
200 Robin Road
Paramus, NJ 07652
By phone using a credit card:
Call Madinah Grier or Jennie Leto at: 201.261.2800
Online at:
www.cafsnj.org (click on “Donate Now” button)
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For further information, please visit our website www.cafsnj.org, |
