Educational needs of foster youth in transition

Abstract

In Wisconsin, foster youth exit out of the system at age 18 or at high school graduation, whichever comes last. On an average day in Wisconsin, almost 8,000 children are living in foster care (Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Foster Care Fact Sheet, 2010). Upon exiting the foster care system, these children are expected to be independent while the average age of financial independence for adults in America is 26 (Krinsky, 2010). The expectation that foster youth be independent at the age of 18 or 19 in Wisconsin places a tremendous responsibility on the educational system. This study gathered qualitative information about the experiences of youth transitioning out of foster care into adulthood from the perspective of former foster care youth, foster caregivers, and professional service people in the foster care system. The purpose of this study is to establish if the basic needs of foster youth in Wisconsin based upon the Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham Maslow are being met and to determine areas that need to be improved upon before they transition into an adult.