Jean Pennant, a foster mother from the Bronx, is no stranger to the hectic routine of school pickups and drop-offs. Over the last decade, she has cared for 14 foster children. Currently, she has five children in her home, including a 2-month-old and an 11-year-old with autism who needs to travel more than an hour each way to school in Queens. This journey, on top of frequent visits to the neurologist, adds extra strain to an already busy schedule.
“Foster children are taken from their homes, from their places of familiarity,” said Pennant, a registered nurse. “I’m trying to normalize their lives, but how normal can that be when they’ve already experienced trauma?”
Pennant’s foster children are among the approximately 6,500 kids in New York City’s foster care system. These children face unique challenges, especially in school, where they are more likely to struggle and less likely to graduate on time.
However, the newly launched Office of Foster Care, part of the city’s Department of Education, is working to improve support for these students. Established in 2023, the office’s nine-person team includes five foster care support coordinators, a data manager, and a training associate. Advocates and school officials have noted that this team is making a significant difference, offering more personalized support to students and families.
In its first year and a half, the office has become a valuable resource for teachers, helping them connect with birth parents, social workers, or temporary guardians. The office has also gathered data on students’ academic progress and improved communication between families and school staff. Additionally, workshops addressing the unique needs of foster children have been held in nine of the city’s 32 districts, with plans to expand this training to high schools and other districts.
For Pennant, the support coordinators have made a difference. They have arranged bus routes for her foster children and facilitated communication with drivers, giving her peace of mind as she sends the children off each morning.
State law gives foster children the right to attend the school they were enrolled in before entering care. However, due to a shortage of bus drivers and ongoing disputes over city contracts, reliable school transportation has been a challenge. A spokesperson for the Department of Education stated that schools notify the Office of Foster Care when a student’s address changes to arrange transportation quickly. The office also ensures that school counselors are available to help foster children adjust to the changes in their homes and schools.
Recent data shows a decline in chronic absenteeism among foster care students, from 63% at the end of the 2022 school year to 55% last year. Students are considered chronically absent if they miss at least 10% of school in a year.
“We are committed to ensuring that students in foster care have the resources they need to succeed,” said Chyann Tull, a spokesperson for the Department of Education. “While there is still more work to do, we are dedicated to creating an equitable learning environment for all students in foster care.”
Brooklyn City Council Member Rita Joseph played a key role in advocating for the office, which was first announced in 2021. Joseph, who chairs the city’s education committee, said the office has improved responsiveness from school officials. She also noted that foster care agencies have been reimbursed for travel costs more quickly.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Joseph said. “For so long, foster students in our schools were invisible, but now, they have an office that is focused on their needs.”
A 2019 study from the city’s Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence revealed that only one in four students in foster care graduated on time, compared to three-fourths of the broader student population. Joseph’s legislation now requires city officials to better track the educational outcomes of foster youth, including disabilities and transportation needs.
The data released so far shows that more than 2,300 students in foster care had disabilities in the 2023-2024 school year, with learning disabilities being the most common. Additionally, over 2,200 foster children were enrolled in special education programs.
Joseph’s legislation also calls for data on the suspension rates of foster children, which tend to be higher than the general student population. However, this data, due to be released last November, has yet to be published.
In a 2023 report, the nonprofit Advocates for Children found that foster children are suspended at nearly four times the rate of other students. These suspensions contribute to further academic setbacks. Joseph argues that without tracking suspension data, it’s difficult to create non-punitive alternatives for foster children.
Brenda Triplett, director of educational achievement at Children’s Aid, expressed similar concerns but acknowledged the new help available. Triplett oversees roughly 750 foster children in the city’s schools and said the new foster care coordinators have been crucial in supporting foster children at suspension hearings.
“They’ve been able to troubleshoot from within, which has been immensely helpful, especially when we’re fighting suspensions,” Triplett said.
The office also assists birth parents who’ve lost temporary custody. These parents often struggle to access their children’s education records and miss parent-teacher conferences due to a lack of notification. The office works to ensure biological parents stay informed about their children’s education.
Erika Palmer, a supervising attorney at Advocates for Children, praised the office for allowing parents to remain involved in their children’s education while they are in foster care.
“We wanted someone to serve as a liaison to help parents stay involved, and I’m hopeful that schools are becoming more mindful of parents’ rights,” Palmer said.
The Office of Foster Care is still in its early stages, but its efforts to provide support and resources to foster children and their families are already making a significant impact on their educational experiences.
