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.