Title I Part A - Foster Care

Every child deserves a stable, high-quality education—especially those in foster care. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides critical protections to ensure children and youth in foster care have seamless school access, improved educational outcomes, and the stability they need to thrive academically. Through a collaborative partnership, the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Department of Social Services have developed joint guidance to help local education agencies and child welfare agencies work together to identify and support students in foster care, ensuring these vital protections become reality in every classroom across our state.

Foster Care Data

Right now, more than 270,000 school-age children across America are in foster care. Many face challenges that threaten their educational future:

Instability: Frequent placement changes mean frequent school changes, disrupting relationships and learning.
Housing insecurity: Nearly one in three young people experiencing homelessness has been in foster care, and 40% of youth aging out of the system will face homelessness.
Graduation gaps: While their peers graduate at rates above 85%, only 55% of foster youth nationwide earn a high school diploma by age 19. In South Carolina, that drops to 43.9%.

The solution requires collaboration. Meaningful coordination between state and local education and child welfare agencies creates the foundation for full support. School districts can combine direct student services with policy improvements that address concerns and remove barriers to success for students in foster care.

Contacts and Important Documents

District Foster Care Contacts

Joint Guidance

South Carolina Foster Care Joint Guidance

Best Interest Determination Important Information

Best Interest Determination Important Information

Best Interest Determination Form

Immediate Enrollment

Immediate Enrollment Form

Enrollment Survey (ES)

Enrollment Survey Guidance

Additional Resources

No two students in foster care have identical stories, and their paths to success won't look identical either. That's why supporting students in foster care requires school districts to be flexible, creative, and committed to addressing the whole student. The resources in this section offer evidence-based strategies, innovative programs, and practical support.

Federal Law, State Law and Guidance

National Partners

Legal Center for Foster Care & Education

Annie E. Casey, Ensuring the Future of At-Risk Youth - The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Child Trends: Child Trends is the leading research organization in the United States focused solely on improving the lives of children, youth, and families

NAEHCY, National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth provides members, stakeholders, and the public with a variety of resources related to the education of homeless children and youth, and additional intersecting populations of vulnerable young people, like students in foster care

Foste Care Q&A, Foster Care Q&A | SchoolHouse Connection

State-wide Resources

DSS Foster Care: South Carolina Department of Social Services

SC Foster Parents Training & Resources

Family Connections: Family Connection of South Carolina | Changing lives by making connections, raising awareness, and promoting inclusion for those with disabilities and special healthcare need.

Children's Trust of South Carolina - Child Abuse Prevention: From statewide programs, to strategic partnerships, to boots on the ground in local communities, we reach into every corner of South Carolina

South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy: Independent state agency that examines, on a system-wide basis, the care and services other state agencies provide children. They recommend improvements to the quality of those services through the development and promotion of a broad vision for statewide reform.

Children's Law Center - Joseph F. Rice School of Law | University of South Carolina: The Children's Law Center is a training and resource center for professionals involved in child maltreatment or juvenile justice court proceedings and child advocates working to improve the safety and well-being of children.

Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children, The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children is a consortium of appointed citizens, legislators, and agency directors charged with the critical responsibility of identifying and studying key issues facing South Carolina's children, then promoting sound strategies for the development of children's policy. The Committee makes recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly to use in consideration of policy, funding, and legislation to benefit our children's future.

Home | Palmetto Association for Children & Families: PAFCAF seeks to advance the interests and priorities of its membership, while also addressing policy and legislative issues impacting children and families.

Q&A: Ensuring Educational Success for Dependent Youth in Congregate Care

Epworth Children's Home | South Carolina, Serving Children and Families

Reimagine Foster Care | Fostering Great Ideas: They restore dignity and increase stability for children and families impacted by foster care through innovative solutions and meaningful relationships.

South Carolina Youth Advocate Program (SCYAP) SCYAP is a South Carolina provider of foster care and community-based services, operating as a private non-profit child-placing and family-serving organization.

Growing Home Southeast: Transforming child welfare with innovation and courage so every child and family is safer, stronger, and more hopeful.

Kinship

The Role of Kin Caregivers in Education: A kin caregiver’s role in advocating for the educational needs of the children they care for is vital. A child’s educational needs include ensuring the child is enrolled and engaged in an appropriate education setting where the child’s educational needs are being met. Kin caregivers
face unique challenges in their efforts to guarantee the student’s educational success, even if they are not given the authority to make education decisions on behalf of the student (commonly referred to as education decision making, or EDM rights).

Home - KinCarolina: KinCarolina aims to provide comprehensive, evidence-based supports to kinship caregivers raising children with disabilities in the Midlands region of South Carolina.

HALOS, Because Family Matters: HALOS serves grandparents, other relatives, and family friends who are raising children to keep them out of foster care with strangers.

HOME | Kindred Hearts of SC: Provides a connected community, education, advocacy and case management, is made possible by volunteers, board members, ambassadors and a team of passionate individuals.

SCDSS Foster Parent Bill of Rights Final May 2024, The South Carolina Department of Social Services, in partnership with the Foster Parent Advisory Council, created a Bill of Rights for licensed South Carolina Foster Parents and Licensed Kinship Caregivers.

Improving Success of Students in Foster Care

Youth in Transition (Aging Out of Foster Care)

Foster Care Transition Toolkit

Chafee Funded Services: The Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood was established to provide youth with opportunities to learn needed skills and increase the likelihood of successful transition from foster care to independence.

Youth in Transition (Aging Out) - The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Students in Foster Care - This page provides comprehensive FAFSA-related resources to help youth, K-12 educators, homeless service providers, and higher education professionals understand, prepare, and fill out the FAFSA