Conversation Starters and Responses to Encourage Foster Youth Students to Attend College

With both college and financial aid applications in decline, there is growing concern that high school students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are postponing or altogether canceling their plans to attend postsecondary institutions during the Fall of 2021. This is particularly disconcerting when considering the research on foster youth students which indicates that those who delay enrollment in community college for one year or more after leaving high school are 40 percent less likely to persist through graduation

These conversation starters and responses can help adult supporters to better engage foster youth students in discussions around college planning amid the pandemic.