TITLE:
A Qualitative Descriptive of Best Practices Utilized by Foster Youth Support Program Staff at Community Colleges in California
AUTHORS:
Danisha Keating
KEYWORDS:
Foster Youth Support Programs, Community Colleges, Foster Youth Support, Best Practices for Foster Youth Support Programs
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.12 No.8,
August
16,
2022
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how foster care support program staff describe best practices to improve the financial, emotional, and academic experiences for foster care youth who matriculated into community colleges. For this study, the theoretical framework was ecological system by Urie Bronfenbrenner. This theory was used as a lens to understand how these support programs impacted foster youth students’ ability to stay in school to complete their degree and how support services impact their academic success by removing barriers financially, emotionally, and academically. The research questions that guided the study were: How do foster care support program staff describe best practices in financial interventions that support retention and success of foster care youth students who havematriculated into community colleges? How do foster care support program staff describe best practices in emotional interventions that support the retention and success of foster care youth students who have matriculated into community colleges? And, how do foster care support program staff describe best practices in academic interventions that support retention and success of foster care youth students who have matriculated into community colleges? The sample for this study was foster youth support staff who worked in California community colleges.