Please join John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) for a statewide webinar highlighting promising practices in Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) emerging across California’s higher education institutions. SAP policies have historically harmed low-income students—particularly foster youth, jeopardizing their access to financial aid.
Three years after the passage of AB 789 (Berman)—which standardized SAP requirements and removed overly restrictive barriers—attention has shifted to practical implementation. Building on five years of research and JBAY’s prior AB 789 toolkit, the webinar will mark the release of a new AB 789 practitioner’s guide, drawing on insights gathered from financial aid practitioners across the California Community Colleges, California State University, and University of California systems.
The webinar will explore practical approaches to student communications, appeals, technology, and leveraging existing staff resources and external supports. Participants will leave with concrete ideas and strategies to strengthen SAP practices on their own campuses, along with a sample SAP policy they can post on their website that meets readability standards.
California Legislative Staff: Join Us at the Capitol!
California has made measurable progress in reducing youth homelessness, but maintaining that progress depends on sustained, youth-specific investment. Between 2020 and 2025, youth homelessness statewide declined by 34%, largely driven by the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program. Yet nearly 9,000 unaccompanied Californians age 24 and younger who are raising more than 1,000 children remain homeless on a given night in the annual count.
Join John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), homeless service providers, and youth leaders for an educational lunch and learn examining the policies and partnerships behind recent gains, the barriers that continue to leave young people without stable housing, and actionable opportunities to preserve and build on California’s progress to end youth homelessness.
Event Contact & Inquiries
For questions or additional information, please contact AJ Johnson, Director of Housing & Economic Mobility at [email protected].
Thank You to the Following Sponsors
Join John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) for this “how-to” webinar to assist adult supporters working with foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The webinar will review the FAFSA and CADAA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible students can qualify as independent students for the purposes of maximizing financial aid. Presenters will also provide information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or CADAA is completed, such as creating a WebGrants account and claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship. In addition, the webinar will provide important updates on relevant state and federal policies.
Please join John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) for a statewide webinar highlighting new research from the Transition-Age Youth Research & Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub) on the educational outcomes of students with experience in foster care at California’s community colleges. Community colleges are an essential gateway to higher education for these students: about four in five who enter postsecondary education in California start at a community college. Yet most research on this population has focused on students attending four-year universities.
This study linked statewide child welfare data with student records from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and followed outcomes for nearly 10 years. Presenters will share the latest data on how many youth with experience in foster care enroll in community college, persist through their first year, and earn a certificate or degree within four years, and how their completion rates compare to those of the general community college student population.
The webinar will also examine first-year and four-year academic outcomes, including course completion, GPA, retention, and persistence, as well as financial aid receipt and participation in campus support programs such as NextUp and EOPS. Participants will leave with a clearer picture of where students with experience in foster care are thriving and where they need more support, along with implications for policymakers and practitioners working to improve identification, persistence, and completion.
Heal the Past, Pave the Future: Watering the Seed from Youth Voice to Vision
October 5-7, 2026
San Diego, CA
Register: Event Summary – 2026 California Youth Justice Summit
Valerie Lynne Kane, JBAY Senior Policy Research Manager, will lead a workshop at the 2026 California Youth Justice Summit focused on the intersection of housing and health for young people in the process of re-entry. Panelists include: Carly Myers, Senior Attorney National Health Law Program; Gillian Morshedi, Senior Directing Attorney, Homebase; Jasmine Young, Staff Attorney, National Health Law Program; and Tyree Crawford, Lead Care Manager, iFoster.
The “Coming Home: Supporting Youth Healing Through Housing Stability” workshop is designed to bring together young people, advocates, county staff and service providers to co-create a shared vision of a housing safety net for young people re-entering their communities from justice facilities. Participants’ learning will center on creative engagement with options for re-entry housing assistance that supports the health and well-being of justice-involved youth and their communities.
Please join John Burton Advocates for Youth for a Free Tax Preparation and Self-Filing Event to receive assistance with your taxes from IRS-Certified VITA Volunteers.
This event is open to California current and former foster youth and out-of-home placement probation youth.
To RSVP, please email: [email protected].
Please join John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) for a virtual information session on the Young Adult Advocate Program. JBAY staff will review eligibility, application steps, and program expectations.
The JBAY Young Adult Advocate Program prepares young adults ages 18–27 who experienced foster care or homelessness at age 13 or older to become leaders, advocates, and changemakers. Participants bring their voices into the policies and programs that affect them and their peers. JBAY currently has 4 openings based in the Sacramento area. Alumni have moved onto college, graduate school, legislative fellowships, advocacy organizations, government agencies, and positions at JBAY.
Applications open September 1, 2026. Whether you’re a young person interested in the program, or an adult supporter who wants to spread the word, we hope you join us to learn more.
Are you a young adult with experience in foster care and a bachelor’s degree who wants to drive real policy change?
Please join John Burton Advocates for Youth, Sacramento State University, and a former Capital Fellow for an information session on the John Burton Scholarship for Capital Fellows.
Recognized as one of the nation’s most respected public policy fellowships, the Capital Fellows Programs—offered through the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State—places fellows directly in the California Legislature or Executive Branch for a year of hands-on policy work.
The three Capital Fellows awarded the John Burton Scholarship receive financial support to cover financial gaps, such as housing, transportation, and professional attire. The information session will cover Capital Fellows Programs eligibility and application requirements, tips to craft a competitive application, and insights from a former Capital Fellow on their program experience.
Whether you’re a young person interested in the John Burton Scholarship for Capital Fellows or an adult supporter who wants to spread the word, we hope you join us on September 10th to learn more!
