Every day in Missouri, 15 children on average are removed from their homes, potentially headed for the foster care system, according to Voices for Children, a St. Louis-based non-profit group.
Children who grow up in the foster care system are much more likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, crime and often have much higher arrest rates than children with ample opportunity, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Sponsored by Rep. Charlie Denison, R-District 135, House Bill 1267 would require all youth over the age of 15 be given a visit and consultation to a college or four-year university before the child can exit the foster care system.
“The state has become the parent for these young people and we should see to it that they do well in their lives and they achieve their full potential,” said Clark Peters, assistant professor in the MU School of Social Work. “As college graduates, they will get better jobs and be much more productive for society.”
The availability of youth in the foster system to gain access to higher education has direct benefits to society and the economy, Peters said.
He said by ensuring children in the foster care system have more incentive to attend college, the long-term benefit could help alleviate financial burden on the state through lower incarceration rates.
“These kids are at higher risks for a lot of worse outcomes than most kids, which costs the state money,” Peters said. “For some, if we can get them on a different path then we can avoid poor health outcomes, potential incarceration, unwanted pregnancies and other consequences.”
Children in foster care do currently have opportunity to receive federal financial aid. Through filling out the FAFSA, they typically qualify for the maximum amount of federal financial aid offered because they are considered an independent student not relying on their parent’s income. This helps foster children because they can incur little cost to attend college, according to a statement from Family Connections, a Missouri organization that assists foster families.
Missouri state records show there were 2,800 children older than 15 years of age in foster care at the end of last year, which leaves a lot of opportunity for the foster care system to ensure children visit colleges, Peters said.
If these children don’t know how to get the assistance they need, they typically won’t be as successful as their peers with family support, direction and encouragement.
“They can’t call mom and dad for an extra $50 to get through a tough time,” Edwards said. “They’ll be on their own whether or not they go to college, so this way they’re armed with the tools they can use as they enter the labor force.”
The bill has passed the initial House vote and is now on its way to the Senate, where it would take effect in 2013 should it pass.
“If these college kids think about all the badgering their parents did to make sure they got here … these foster children don’t have that so anything we can do to help them get here is a good thing,” Peters said.