Chafee Education and Training Vouchers

Foster youth intern Nijeria Peterson proposes that Congress take steps toward improving access to, and knowledge of, benefits for transition-age foster youth.

Congressional intern Christina Parker wants more flexibility and expanded eligibility to support young people who have experienced foster care as they transition to adulthood.

Interns with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute presented their policy recommendations to members of Congress and their staff.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced the state would prevent foster youth from aging out of the system during the pandemic. This week, the administration laid out the specifics of his order. 

Former foster youth enrolled in college or career training will now have more time to pull up their grades before losing their federal-state Chafee grants. Until now, such students would lose their $5,000 annual grant if they failed to make satisfactory academic progress for two consecutive semesters, unless they are able to successfully appeal under their school’s process. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed off on about a dozen child welfare bills this year, including an effort to better support Native American children in the state’s child welfare system, diversion to help some parents avoid losing their children to foster care as a result of incarceration and rule changes to increase access to financial aid for foster youth in higher education.

A California legislator is looking to amend the state’s college aid program for foster youth so it covers more students and loses fewer of them to academic problems. The Chafee Education and Training Voucher (ETV) is a federal-state match program that provides up to $5,000 per year to current or former foster youth to help with the costs of college.

Later this month, I’ll walk across the stage and receive my associate degree from Santa Ana College. After that, I’ll transfer to the University of California, Riverside, with the goal of one day becoming a professor.

The new California state budget signed into law this week by Gov. Jerry Brown includes a pair of measures that advocates hope will support foster youth pursuing higher education and help parenting foster youth succeed.