Access educational services
The Educational Services Unit (EdSU) provides services to address the educational well-being of children and young adults, from birth to 21 years old who are dependents of the court. We work to ensure that foster youth are immediately enrolled in and attending schools and receiving an appropriate educational program.
As part of this effort, we oversee or are a partner of the initiatives below.
| The Educational Rights Project (ERP) and Youth Education Advocates (YEA) | This is a collaboration involving:
ERP focuses primarily on special education identification and advocacy, compliance of Assembly Bill 490 or AB 1933 and related laws specific to youth in foster care. This encompasses education pertaining to educational rights for student, parent, and caregiver, disciplinary concerns, school of origin transportation, and high school completion options (AB 167). |
| Educational consultants | Educational consultations are scheduled when a referral is submitted to EdSU. Consultations include an EDSU coordinator, LACY attorney advocate, and a Morrissey-Compton education specialist. Additional participants include social workers, Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), service providers, caregivers, probation officer, school district staff when appropriate, and occasionally high school students if they are not attending school. Consultations result in plans of action to ensure students receives academic instruction, social and emotional support, and school placement that is appropriate to their needs and abilities. |
| Santa Clara County Office of Education Partnership (SCCOE) | The Department of Family and Children and Services partners with the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) to ensure that all court cases receive individualized educational support. SCCOE provides case management services are provided to children and youth K-12 involved in the juvenile dependency court, including both family reunification and maintenance. Cases are assigned to an SCCOE education manager who will follow the academic progress of children throughout their duration in the dependency system. |
| Non-Minor Dependent scholarship | The Non-Minor Dependent (NMD) scholarship helps students to achieve their higher education goals, including vocational training, community college, university, or all of the above. The scholarship is to enable foster youths to earn their college degree debt-free. When foster youths graduate from college, they do not have the luxury of going home to live with their parents. They have to support themselves, and having debt makes that hard. SCCOE is sub-contracting this service through the non-profit Pivotal. You may apply for the NMD scholarship online (www.pivotalnow.org) in January and submit your application by March 31st. If you are awarded a scholarship and you're attending community college, you will receive up to $3,000 per year. If you are attending vocational training or university, the scholarship award is up to $5,000 per year. Eligibility: Open dependency case in Santa Clara as a Non-Minor Dependent. |
| High school and post-secondary education and career coaching | Through a partnership between DFCS and SCCOE, eligible youth can receive education and career coaching. SCCOE sub-contracts this service through the non-profit Pivotal. Education coaches meet with students on a regular basis, providing support with reaching education and career goals, as well as helping youth develop the skills they need to succeed in life. Education high school coaches support youth with developing a plan for completing high school and planning for their next steps. Education post-secondary coaches are co-located on all County of Santa Clara community colleges and provide education and career support. Coaches help connect youth to resources, like tutoring and campus support programs. Coaches also help students develop their professional skills, connect to jobs and summer internships. Eligibility: Open dependency case in the County of Santa Clara. |