SFUSD School Health Programs Department

Foster Youth Services

Historical Background:

In 1997, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), the San Francisco Family & Juvenile Court, and the San Francisco City Attorney established an advisory committee regarding the educational outcomes of foster youth in San Francisco. The Advisory Committee envisioned effective collaboration among organizations to meet the needs of foster youth. In 1999, the California Department of Education funded the SFUSD/School Health Programs Department (SHPD) Foster Youth Services Program (FYS) Program to facilitate that process.

What is the goal of the FYS Program?

The goal of the FYS Program is to support academic achievement, attendance, and positive school behaviors of foster youth attending school in SFUSD.

What is the FYS Program?

Foster children have been removed from the care of their parents primarily because of abuse or neglect due to complex family, social, and environmental conditions out of their control. Some children in foster care move frequently among emergency shelters, foster families, guardian homes (kinship/relative or non-relative) and group homes. These changes often result in multiple school placements. Because of these complexities in their lives, many foster youth perform below grade level, are held back in school, and have lower graduation rates than their peers. In order to support foster children academically and emotionally, the FYS program was established to meet these needs. The FYS Program:

Works with SFUSD departments and community partners to ease the educational transition
Works one-on-one with students on their educational goals
Provides referrals to additional educational opportunities
Advocates for foster youths’ educational needs
Advocates locally and state-wide to improve school & child welfare policies
Compiles education records for foster youth in the district

What else does the FYS Program do?

Maintains a database of foster youth attending SFUSD schools
Creates a quarterly report called the FYS Census that provides demographic information regarding foster youth living in San Francisco
Distributes the FYS Census to school administrators and student support service staff to target youth for services and facilitate communication between the education and child welfare systems
Provides educational case management, assistance with locating school records, school placement and referrals to services, professional development for schools, group home staff, DHS personnel and others, and much more

Do foster youth have specific rights or protections regarding their education?

Yes, they do! AB 490, passed in 2003, established legislative intent that foster youth should have access to the same opportunities as all students, and that education and school placement decisions should be dictated by the best interest of the youth.
AB 490 stipulates the following:

When a foster youth changes home placements, they have a right to remain in their school of origin for the duration of the school year.
County social workers have access to a foster youth’s educational records.
If a foster youth moves to a new school, they must be immediately enrolled into that school, even if fees or materials are owed to the previous school or enrollment records are not available (such as school records, immunization records, proof of residency).
The new school has two (2) business days to request the student’s records from the old school and the old school has two (2) days to transfer those records.
Additionally, the student must receive full/partial credits for seat time in their old school(s).

The School Enrollment Procedures for Foster Youth (pdf) provides detailed information for school registrars, school staff, and school administers regarding AB 490 implementation.

How can I support a foster youth in my school or program?

Regularly check in with the youth.
Get to know the youth by sharing interests and hobbies.
Create an environment that makes the students feel included and safe.
Youth in foster care often do not want to be treated differently (At the same time, acknowledge or accommodate extenuating circumstances).
Respect the youth’s privacy! Do not share a student’s foster care status to other students or teachers without permission.
Remain patient and consistent. Many youth in foster care have lived through difficult experiences and may find it difficult to trust adults.

Who are the FYS Program’s community partners?

The FYS Program works with collaborative partners throughout San Francisco, the Bay Area and the state of California. Current partners include:

San Francisco Department of Human Services
Superior Court of California
San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department
United Way of the Bay Area, Honoring Emancipated Youth (HEY) Program
San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
Legal Services for Children
San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

How do I refer a youth to the FYS Program or get more information?

Youth can be referred to the FYS Program by completing the Foster Youth Services Referral Form 2006-07 (pdf). Completed referral forms can be sent by school mail or faxed to:

FYS Program Coordinator
School Health Programs Department
1515 Quintara Street
San Francisco, CA 94116
Phone: (415) 242-2615
Fax: (415) 242-2618