| From National Foster Care Coalition Newsletter:
Mockingbird Society Working to Increase Support for Washington
State's Youth in Foster Care
The Mockingbird Society, a Seattle-based youth advocacy and public awareness organization, is working with youth, legislators, and other advocates to ensure that young people in the foster care system have better opportunities to succeed. Two legislative bills introduced this session would reward those foster youths who finish high school and want to pursue higher education by extending their foster care benefits, especially housing and health care. Bills in both the House (HB 2002) and Senate (SB6324) would allow foster children to maintain their foster care status while they attend a college or vocational program until age 21. Currently, those foster children who finish their high school education lose their benefits at age 18; those who do not finish high school or get a GED can stay in care until they turn 19.
"We're punishing foster kids who get their high school diploma or GED," said Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, the bill's sponsor. Dickerson added, "I'm a parent, and I know that most 18-year-olds are not ready to go out on their own."
If all eligible foster children chose to remain in care, the tab could reach more than $3.5 million a year, according to state figures. State analysts estimate that only about one-third of foster children will remain in care while they pursue a post-secondary education. For more information, go to www.mockingbirdsociety.org
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