The Foster Care Summit 2024 was a resounding success! With over 240 participants in attendance, a wealth of knowledge about students in foster care was shared. The focus of the summit is to drive ESSA implementation for students in foster care. The Foster Care & Student Success Guide was given to all attendees along with ESSA implementation resources.

Here are some key highlights:

• Speakers: We want to thank the Transportation Directors from San Angelo ISD – Lee Livingston and Texas Leadership Schools – Nathan Bosworth for speaking about transportation and students in foster care. We also send a special thank you to the participants on our lived experienced panel including moderator - Jan Heismann, featuring young adults who are former foster youth currently attending Angelo State University.  
• Sessions: Some engaging sessions were Foster Care & the Law, Mental Health, Special Education & Foster Care, and Higher Education & Foster Care.
• Networking Opportunities: Connecting DFPS Education Specialists and LEA Foster Care Points of Contact was valuable to building resources and coordination for students in foster care.

Thank you to Dr. Lesley Casarez -ESC Region 15 and Candace Aguirre - Angelo State University with the Fostering RAM Success program for hosting the summit. The partnership of TEA, DFPS, and The Children’s Commission is an impactful collaboration that will continue to build resources and promote opportunities for professional development to address the education of students in foster care. 

The Texas Education Agency’s Supportive Schools Division and our Project AWARE Texas partners will host monthly webinars to highlight resources and best practice strategies on timely relevant safe and supportive school topics. The webinar sessions will be held on the 2nd Thursday of every month from January to June from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm via Zoom webinar. Topics will include school mental health, substance abuse prevention, school discipline, early mental health interventions, approaches to whole child student support, and building community partnerships to increase capacity. CPE credits will be available to those attending the full live session. 

In the Every Student Succeeds Act, Foster Care Liaisons are mandatory for state education agency (SEA), local education agency (LEA), and child welfare agencies. In the state of Texas, Dr. LaTrenda Watson is the point of contact for TEA. Child welfare points of contact are the DFPS Educational Specialist. For school districts, the point of contact must be reported to the AskTED system. Regional Education Service Centers (ESC) have Foster Care Champions that are able to assist districts with students in foster care. 

The Highly Mobile & At-Risk student programs have updated the AskTED guidance on finding the foster care and McKinney-Vento liaisons for each district and Regional Education Service Center. For step-by-step instructions with pictures of how to view and download a current list of foster care liaisons in AskTED, please access the full document which is on the Foster Care & Student Success Webpage. 

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) runs the Driver Education Funding Program to help eligible youth and young adults access the funds for driver education costs. The Youth Driver Education Funding Program pays for: driver education classes; behind-the-wheel training; and driver tests.

Some of the eligibility requirements  for this program are:

• Youth younger than 18 years old and currently residing in foster care
• Individuals at least 18 years old, but younger than 21, in extended foster care being paid for by DFPS
• Individuals who are younger than 26 years old and aged out of the Texas foster care system or have experienced homelessness

For more information, visit the Texas Workforce Commission.  

TEA would like to highlight Foster Care liaisons in the districts going above and beyond to support students in foster care. If you have a person or school district who has greatly assisted you and students in foster care, please let us know. 

Please email fostercareliaison@tea.texas.gov to recommend any deserving foster care liaison or district.