BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1023
Page A
Date of Hearing: June 17, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Mark Stone, Chair
SB 1023 (Liu) - As Amended: June 12, 2014
SENATE VOTE : 37-0
SUBJECT : Community colleges: foster youth.
SUMMARY : Permits the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges (CCC) to enter into agreements with ten community
college districts to establish the Cooperating Agencies Foster
Youth Educational Support (CAFYES) Program to support community
college students who are or were formerly in foster care.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Permits the Chancellor of the CCC to establish agreements with
no more than ten community college districts to create the
CAFYES Program to provide additional funding and support to
community college students who are or were formerly in foster
care.
2)Provides that funding for the CAFYES program will be separate
and apart from the funding provided under existing cooperative
agencies resources for education programs established under
the Student Success Act, as specified, which includes such
programs as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).
3)Requires the CAFYES program to provide outreach and
recruitment, service coordination, counseling, book and supply
grants, tutoring, independent living and financial literacy
skills support, frequent in-person contact, career guidance,
transfer counseling, child care and transportation assistance,
and referrals to health services, mental health services,
housing assistance, and other related services.
4)Requires interested community college districts to apply to
the CCC Board of Governors (BOG) and provide information that
includes the estimated number of foster youth who will be
served and the extent of cooperation between the local county
child welfare agency (CWA), the county probation department,
local educational opportunity and services programs, and the
school districts to ensure that services provided to eligible
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youth are coordinated with, and do not supplant, other
services provided by the county and state.
5)Requires students to comply with all of the following
eligibility requirements in order to participate in the
program:
a) Be a current or former foster youth in California whose
dependency was established or continued by the court on or
after the youth's 16th birthday; and
b) Be no older than 25 years of age at the commencement of
any academic year in which he or she participates in the
program.
6)Requires the CCC BOG to adopt regulations that authorize the
director of the Community College EOPS to accept students who
are enrolled for at least nine units into this program.
7)States the intent of the Legislature that any student who
participates in the CAFYES Program shall also be participating
in the Student Success and Support Program, as specified.
8)Requires the CCC BOG to adopt regulations to implement the
CAFYES Program, in consultation with the Department of Social
Services (DSS), and requires DSS, in consultation with the
County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief
Probation Officers of California, and other advocates, to
consult with the CCC Chancellor to ensure that the CAFYES
program and services are coordinated with, and do not
supplant, other services provided by the county and state.
9)Requires the CCC Board of Governors to provide a report to the
Governor, the Legislature, and the California Child Welfare
Council (CWC) by March 31, 2018, and every two years
thereafter, describing its efforts to serve students who are
current and former foster youth, as specified.
10)Provides that the CAFYES Program may only be operative if
funds have been appropriated in the budget, as specified, and
permits the CCC Chancellor to designate up to two percent of
the funds allocated for program administration.
11)Permits the CCC BOG to authorize the Chancellor to designate
up to three percent of funds allocated for program development
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and program accountability.
EXISTING LAW
1)Establishes the Community College Extended Opportunity
Programs and Services (EOPS) to increase the enrollment of
students who are affected by language, social and economic
disadvantages, improve the delivery of programs and services
to the disadvantaged, and increase the number of students who
successfully complete their chosen educational objectives, are
placed into career employment, and transfer to four year
institutions. (EC 69640)
2)Authorizes the Chancellor's office, in cooperation with the
CDSS and the Employment Development Department, to enter into
agreements with community college districts that have
established cooperative agencies resources for education
(CARE) programs that serve single heads of households who
receive California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids
(CalWORKs) assistance. Establishes that the purpose of the
CARE program is to provide additional funds for support
services, including, at a minimum, child care and
transportation allowances, books and supplies, counseling, and
other related services. (EC 79150)
3)States that the purpose of foster care law is to provide
maximum safety and protection for children who are currently
being physically, sexually, emotionally abused, neglected, or
exploited, and to ensure the safety, protection, and physical
and emotional well-being of children who are at risk of harm.
(W&I Code 300.2)
4)States the intent of the Legislature to preserve and
strengthen a child's family ties whenever possible and to
reunify a foster youth with his or her biological family
whenever possible, or to provide a permanent placement
alternative, such as adoption or guardianship. (W&I Code
16000)
5)Establishes the California Fostering Connections to Success
Act of 2010 (AB 12, Chapter 559, Statutes of 2010), which,
among other provisions:
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a) Provides for the extension of transitional foster care
to eligible youth up to age 21 as a voluntary program for
youth who meet specified work and education participation
criteria; and,
b) Requires changes to the Kin-GAP program in order to
allow for federal financial participation in the program.
6)Defines a "nonminor dependent" as a current or former foster
child between the ages of 18 and 21 who is in foster care
under the responsibility of the county welfare department,
county probation department, or Indian Tribe, and is
participating in a transitional independent living plan. (WIC
11400(v))
7)Provides that any minor may be rendered a ward of the court
under juvenile jurisdiction, if he or she:
a) Is beyond the control of his or her parents, as
specified (WIC 601(a));
b) Violates any local or state curfew requirement, as
specified (WIC 601(a));
c) Is a truant; defined as a minor with four or more
unexcused school absences within a school year, as
specified (WIC 601(b)); and
d) Violated any federal, state or local law, except for
minors who are 14 years of age or older who have committed
murder, a sex offense, rape, spousal rape, a forcible sex
offence, an act or forcible act of a lewd and lascivious
nature upon a child under 14 years of age, as specified,
forcible sexual penetration, or sodomy or oral copulation,
as specified. (WIC 602)
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, the actual level of program funding for this bill
will be determined by the BOG, and presumably is based on a
budget appropriation for this purpose.
1)Foster youth services: Approximately $2 million (General
Fund) annually to provide the services described, depending on
the distribution of eligible participants and the level of CCD
participation.
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2)Administration: Approximately $175,000 (General Fund) to the
CCCCO to establish the program and develop guidelines in
coordination with specified groups, which includes 1 PY for
the program and 1 PY office technician, and travel. Ongoing
costs will likely be significantly less, once the programs are
operational and staff is primarily responsible for only the
reporting requirements.
COMMENTS :
Educational challenges for students in foster care : When
compared to disadvantaged, underrepresented, and underprivileged
subgroups of youth, including low socioeconomic level,
developmentally disabled, and English learner students, students
in foster care perform at lower levels than their peers. In
fact, in a series of reports released by the Stuart Foundation,
it has been demonstrated that students in foster care face
uniquely separate and distinct challenges when compared to their
peers due to their status of being in foster care. Further, in
the Stuart Foundation's third report, which provides an overview
of the specific educational outcomes of students in foster care
by placement type, (e.g., foster family home, group home, etc.),
it was found that "students in every type of foster care
placement lagged significantly behind their peers who were not
in foster care."<1>
The challenges faced by students in foster care are not limited
solely to one grade or range of grades in education; rather,
they are systemic and span the experience of all students in
foster care, whether it is in early care and education,
preschool, kindergarten, grade school, middle school, high
school or higher education. Beginning at a young age, it is
estimated that only one in ten foster youth receive the early
intervention services they need, and just over one-third have
access to preschool, which is a significant predetermining
factor in whether a child will demonstrate a readiness gap when
---------------------------
<1> Stuart Foundation. The Invisible Achievement Gap: How the
Foster Care Experiences of California Public School Students Are
Associated with their Educational Outcomes - Part Two. 2014.
Page ii.
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entering Kindergarten.<2>
When in school, by the third grade, 80% of foster children will
have had to repeat a grade in school and 75% perform below their
grade level. This can be due to a variety of reasons, which
include the number of times a child in foster care will change
placements and thus multiple schools throughout their K-12
academic career. Once foster youth are in high school, only one
in 20 is proficient in math and one in five is proficient in
English by grade 11.
High school graduation and college going rates for students in
foster care are even starker. In a 2011 report, also by the
Stuart Foundation, which sampled approximately 11,300 youth
between the 2002-03 and 2006-07 school years, it was found that
students in foster care are less likely than other disadvantaged
youth to complete high school, enroll in community college, or
remain in community college. Specifically, the study found that
students in foster care were 47% less likely to enter community
college than the general student population and 51% less likely
to return after the first year.<3> Low overall graduation
numbers clearly have an impact on the even lower number of
college going rates for students in foster care. Yet, for those
foster youth who do enroll in college, specifically in community
college, they experience greater rates of persistence and less
likely stay enrolled and achieve an associate's degree or
vocational certificate, or transfer on to a four-year college.
By age 26, only 4.4% of foster youth will receive a two-year
degree and 3.8% will earn a four-year degree.
EOPS : The purpose of EOPS is to increase the enrollment of
socio-economically or otherwise disadvantaged students who would
otherwise struggle in college due to their economic status or
language barriers. Through this program, students receive
supportive services and are provided access to specialized
programs that assist them with career services or with
transferring to a four-year postsecondary institution. The
intent of EOPS is to supplement the regular educational programs
of the community college. In order to be eligible for EOPS, the
---------------------------
<2> California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership.
Understanding the Foster Youth Educational Outcomes;
Comprehensive Supports Throughout Foster Youths' Lives Result in
Better Outcomes. Volume V, 2011. Page Two.
<3> Stuart Foundation. At Greater Risk: California Foster Youth
and the Path from High School to College. 2013.
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student must:
1)Be a resident of California;
2)Be enrolled full-time (12 units); the EOPS director is
authorized to allow up to 10% of EOPS students to be enrolled
in nine units;
3)Not have completed more than 70 units of degree applicable
credit coursework;
4)Qualify to receive a Board of Governors Grant (low-income);
and
5)Be educationally disadvantaged as determined by the EOPS
director. (California Code of Regulations, Title 5, § 56220).
To remain eligible for EOPS, a student must apply for financial
aid, maintain academic progress, and complete and meet an
educational plan and responsibility agreement.
CARE : Current law authorizes the Chancellor's office, in
cooperation with the Department of Social Services and
Employment Development Department, to enter into agreements with
community college districts that have established CARE programs.
The purpose of the CARE program is to provide additional funds
for support services that are to include at a minimum child care
and transportation allowances, books and supplies, counseling,
and other related services.
This program allows community college districts to apply for
funds by providing specific information as to how many students
will be served and the types and level of coordinated services
provided by other public agencies. Participants in CARE must be
at least 18 years of age, be a single head-of-household, be
receiving public assistance, and desire to complete his or her
high school education or pursue a job-related curriculum.
Need for the bill : Stating the need for the bill, the author
writes:
[This bill] creates a supplemental component of the
Community College Extended Opportunity Programs and
Services, which provides support and services that have
shown to improve the academic success of disadvantaged
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students. Services that may be provided include
matriculation and transfer counseling, monitoring of
academic progress, tutoring and mentoring, independent
living skills support, and frequent in-person contact.
Research shows that students who are enrolled in 12 units
are more likely to meet their educational goals, yet
full-time enrollment is a challenge for foster youth.
Therefore, this bill authorizes foster youth enrolled in at
least nine units to participate in this support program.
The goal is to provide support and services that will help
these students meet their educational goals.
Writing in support of the bill, the National Center for Youth
Law states:
A key reason foster youth fail to succeed in community
college is the lack of support on campus to meet their
unique needs? The use of campus support programs is an
evidence-based approach that proves that foster youth can
overcome their serious academic delays and be successful
when they receive the necessary academic and social
support. A 2012 report concluded that foster youth who
participate in campus support programs are three times more
likely to persist in college than foster youth nationwide.
Additionally, California's EOPS program has been rigorously
evaluated and found to improve student outcomes.
RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS:
Amendment #1
According to Part One of the Stuart Foundation's "The Invisible
Achievement Gap: Education Outcomes of Students in Foster Care
in California's Public Schools," during the 2009-10 school year
two-thirds of all students in foster care were served in ten
percent of the school districts in the state. Ten of these
districts accounted for half of that number, or one-third of the
overall population of students in foster care. Although an
assessment of the number or percentage of current or former
foster youth who are enrolled by community college district is
unavailable, it is not unreasonable to presume that there are
higher concentrations of current and former foster youth
enrolled in certain community college districts. In order to
increase the reach of this program and the number of foster
youth it can serve, additional consideration regarding the
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number of foster youth who may be served should be included in
the criteria of how the CCC BOG chooses the community college
districts that participate.
Specifically, committee staff recommends amending the bill on
page seven, line seven before "79222" to read:
(a) If more than ten districts apply for the program, the
board of governors shall give priority to those districts
with the higher number of eligible students.
Amendment #2
The bill currently requires the CCC Chancellor to provide a
report "describing its efforts to serve students" in foster care
to the Governor, the Legislature, and the CWC every two years
beginning May 31, 2018. There are currently 111 community
colleges and 72 community college districts in the state, and
current and former foster youth can be found enrolled at all of
them, yet the bill only allows ten community college districts
to operate this program. Should this program prove successful,
the report should include recommendations as to whether and how
it can be expanded to benefit all students in foster care
enrolled in a community college.
Specifically, committee staff recommends amending the bill on
page eight, line two after "foster care." to read:
The report shall include recommendations on whether and how
the program can be expanded to all community college
districts and campuses.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California School Employees Association (CSEA)
Children NOW
County Welfare Directors Association of CA (CWDA)
Alliance for Children's Rights
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME)
Aspiranet
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California CASA
California Federation of Teachers (CFT)
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California School Employees Association (CSEA)
Child Abuse Prevention Center (CAP Center)
Children's Law Center
Junior Lease of Los Angeles, Inc.
National Center for Youth Law
Ventura County Board of Supervisors
John Burton Foundation
ABODE Services
Alameda County Office of Education
Alliance for Children's Rights
Beyond Emancipation
Bienvenidos Children's Center
Bill Wilson Center
Butte College
Butte County Independent Living Program
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California CASA Association
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State University, Chico
California State University, San Marcos
California Youth Connection
Camellia Network
CASA, Alameda
CASA, Amador
CASA, Butte and Glenn Counties
CASA, Contra Costa County
CASA, Del Norte County
CASA, Eastern Sierra
CASA, El Dorado
CASA, Fresno and Madera Counties
CASA, Kern County
CASA, Kings County
CASA, Lassen Family Services
CASA, Los Angeles
CASA, Marin
CASA, Mariposa County
CASA, Mendocino and Lake Counties
CASA, Merced County
CASA, Monterey County
CASA, Orange County
CASA, Sacramento
CASA, San Benito County
CASA, San Bernardino County
CASA, San Francisco
CASA, San Joaquin County
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CASA, San Luis Obispo County
CASA, San Mateo County
CASA, Santa Barbara County
CASA, Santa Cruz
CASA, Shasta County
CASA, Solano County
CASA, Sonoma County
CASA, Stanislaus County
CASA, Tulare County
CASA, Ventura County
CASA, Yolo County
Child Advocates of Nevada County
Child Advocates of Placer County
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
Children's Hope Foster Family Agency
Children's Law Center of California
College of the Desert
College OPTIONS
The Honorable Juan Vargas, 51st Congressional District
County Welfare Director's Association
Cuyamaca College Unlimited Potential Program
East Bay Children's Law Offices
Encompass Community Services
Evergreen Valley College
Every Child Foundation
Family Care Network, Inc.
First Place for Youth
Five Acres
Foster & Kinship Care Education Program, Los Rios Community
College District
Foster Care Counts
Gavilan College
Glenn County Office of Education
Hartnell College Foster & Kinship Care Education Program
Humboldt State University
Imperial County Behavioral Health Services
Imperial Valley College EOPS
Imperial Valley College, Financial Assistance Office
Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program
Larkin Street Youth Services
Legal Services for Children
Loyola Marymount University
National Association of Social Workers
National Center For Youth Law
National Council of Jewish Women-California
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New Alternatives, Inc.
Norco College
Peacock Acres
Pepperdine University
Promises2Kids
Public Counsel
Redwood Children's Services, Inc.
Redwood Community Action Agency
Richstone Family Center
Riverside Community College District
San Gabriel Children's Center
San Joaquin County Human Services Agency
San Jose State University Guardian Scholars Program
Santa Ana College
Santa Monica College Guardian Scholars Program
Shasta College
Shasta College
Shasta County Independent Living Program
SIA Tech
Skyline College
Social Advocates for Youth
Soroptimist International of Visalia
Southbay Community Services
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Riverside
Victor Valley Community College
W&W Community Development, Inc.
West Hills College Coalinga
West Los Angeles College
YWCA Santa Monica/Westside
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Chris Reefe / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089