Media
WSJF Grantees & Partners in the News
CREDIT: CA Youth Connection
CREDIT: Legal Services Funders Network
CREDIT: California CASA
CREDIT: On The Move/Voices
CREDIT: John Muir Land Trust
CREDIT: John Burton Advocates for Youth
CREDIT: NV System of Higher Education
- Two types of housing vouchers for foster youth (EdSource, 1/9/24).
- Fostering college success (Truckee Meadows Community College, 1/17/24).
- California's governor's budget breaks his promise to older foster youth (Imprint, 2/2/24).
- Small grants yield big cash: A foundation helped unlocked millions in public funds for homeless youth (Inside Philanthropy, 2/13/24).
- Advocates warn against cutting housing subsidies for former foster youth (EdSource, 2/14/24).
- Opinion: California foster youth often slip through the cracks. Cutting their rental support doesn't help (CalMatters, 2/21/24).
- Economic mobility through college prep and free college for students with experience in foster care (Working Nation, 2/1/24).
- Overlooked and almost out of time: Pandemic era funds for children and youth experiencing homelessness (SchoolHouse Connections, 2/22/24).
- Youth Workforce Development in California (New Ways to Work, 3/24).
- Are California's Foster Youth Claiming the State's New Tax Credit (Public Policy Institute of California, 4/9/24).
- States have been using foster children's social security benefits. That's ending in some places (Associated Press, 4/17/24).
- Foster children fight to stop states from taking federal benefits (New York Times, 4/26/24).
- Seven funders working to improve child welfare and foster care (Inside Philanthropy, 4/22/24).
- Marin County woman helps young adults who age out of foster care by decorating homes (CBS, 4/29/24).
- Seven funders working to improve child welfare and foster care (Inside Philanthropy, 5/24/24).
- Destination graduation (Foster Youth Pre College Collective, 6/3/24).
- Thank you JBAY Executive Director Amy Lemley (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 6/6/24).
- Amy Lemley, long time champion for California's older foster youth, to step down from influential advocacy group (Imprint, 6/18/24).
- College costs uncovered (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 10/1/24).
- Historic downtown Stockton building to be converted to housing for foster youth (ABC10, 10/4/24).
- Disconnected Youth Coalition to help the 42,000 young adults who are not employed or in school (Nevada Business, 10/10/24).
- Paying for college as a student with foster care history (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 10/14/24).
- Three Champions to be honored as John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) marks 20 years of impact (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 10/18/24).
- Administration seeks input on protecting benefits for foster youth (Imprint, 11/1/24).
- Donor Spotlight (California Local Conservation Corp Foundation, 11/24).
- Hundreds turn out for Healing Center opening (Boulder City Review, 11/7/24).
- Sixto Cancel wins Casey Family Program 2023 Alumni Award (Casey Family Programs, 1/23)
- PRIDE Industries CEO Jeff Dern cuts the ribbon on newly opened career hub (KXTL Fox News, 1/24/23)
- Foster care, postsecondary education and financial aid in Califoria (Urban Institute, 3/14/23)
- A growing number of states vow to stop seizing benefits owed to foster youth (Imprint, 3/19/23)
- A rooting interest for college students who have experienced foster care (UNLV, 4/5/23)
- Bill aims to make college debt free for foster youth (KCRA3, 4/5/23)
- Participant perspective on education and training vouchers: How young people with foster care history experience the education and training vouchers (Urban Institute, 4/5/23)
- Think-of-Us receives $47.5m from TED's Audacious Project (Imprint, 4/17/23)
- Four ways to help young people with foster care experience afford college (Urban Institute, 4/19/23)
- iFoster awarded $4.3m for public health Americorp (iFoster Press Release, 5/1/23)
- Wrapping our youth with supports they need to thrive (Children's Trust, May 2023)
- Congressman Steven Horsford kicks off iFoster's jobs program in Nevada (iFoster, 5/8/23)
- How new FASFA can help homeless students (Insider Higher Ed, 5/9/23)
- Say YES to help youth (Sacramento Magazine, 5/12/23)
- California Community Colleges homeless and housing insecurity pilot program (California Community Colleges, 5/19/23)
- Preparing teens for postsecondary education (FosterParentCollege.com, 5/30/23)
- California community college student ambassador program celebrates one million student connections (Foundation for California Community Colleges, 6/6/23)
- Foster(ing) youth in the California State University: Understanding the vital role of campus support programs (UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, 6/7/23)
- Lived experience guide to fixing foster care (iFoster, 6/23)
- When foster youth go to college: Assessing barriers and support to degree completion (Focus on Poverty, 6/23)
- Foster youth fee waiver and program report (Dept of Academic and Student Affairs/NV System of Higher Education, 6/ 23)
- California budget boosts higher education and housing for foster youth (The Imprint, 7/5/23)
- Game changer: California foster youth can now go to college completely free (CBS8, 7/10/23)
- Federal financial aid for foster youth, quick guide (EdSource, 7/11/23)
- A foster care system where every child has a loving home (TedTalk, TED2023)
- (InsidePhilanthropy, 10/23)
- California Opportunity Youth: An Updated Analysis (California Opportunity Youth Network, 9/23)
- Tax credit for foster youth (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 9/11/23)
- California legislature passes bill that prevents counties from taking foster children benefits (CBS, 9/22/23)
- Landmark study marks progress - and critical gaps - in reproductive health for California foster youth (Imprint, 9/27/23)
- She lost her financial aid while homeless. A bill on Newsom's desk could help students like her (CalMatters, 9/28/23)
- Counties matter: The influence of county context in services and outcomes for transition-age youth in care (TAY Hub at UC Berkeley, 9/23)
- Real college needs of California: Basic needs among California community college students (Community College League of California, 9/23)
- JBAY helps Contra Costa unlocked valuable federal housing program (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 10/2/23)
- WEBINAR: CALYOUTH: Proving extended foster care works for young adults in transition from foster care (US Health and Human Services, 10/19/23).
- Nonprofit offers high schoolers in foster care guidance on getting to college (EdSource,11/6/23)
- Suspension push foster and homeless youth out of SoCal classrooms (Orange County Register, 11/6/23)
- What's stopping California from maximizing federal housing assistance for youth (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 11/28/23)
- Decoding alternative education: Student demographics, caseloads, and budgeting in the five largest California county offices of education & tools for transparency (National Center for Youth Law, 12/23)
- Tuition waiver programs for students with experience in foster care (FAAN, 1/22)
- When college is not in session, where do foster youth turn (Imprint, 1/4/22)
- Inside Story: Paying for their foster care (The Marshall Project, 1/7/22)
- Unlocking Potential: Strengthening the Chafee Education and Training voucher program and for students with experience in foster care (FAAN, 2/22)
- Youth support youth: expanding peer-to-peer programs in schools to address the growing youth mental health crisis (California Children's Trust, 2/22)
- Dual enrollment for foster youth: Toward effective practice (Career Ladders Project, 2/22)
- Pasadena Community Foundation receives landmark $10 million gift from the Petersen Foundation (Pasadena Community Foundation, 2/4/22)
- iFoster CEO wins James Irvine Leadership award (YouTube, 2/7/22)
- National datasheet on foster care and education (American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, 2/16/22)
- California Opportunity Youth Data Report 2022 (California Opportunity Youth Network, 4/22)
- Five steps to ensure your clients are benefitting from their federal benefits (American Bar Association, 6/21/22)
- Entrepreneur Sixo Cancel is giving kids in foster care opportunities he never had (NBC Universal, 2/17/22)
- The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) receives historic donation (CLASP press release,2/22/22)
- Giving Day: Family Harvest Farm (KTVU Fox 2, 2/22/22)
- Reduced number of CPS families required to pay for foster care (CalMatters, 3/2/22)
- Education impact: Long term impact of the pandemic on education of children in foster care (Fostering Families, March/April 2022)
- How technology impacts the foster care system (Fostering Families Today, March/April 2022)
- Expanding workforce and career development pathways for opportunity youth (John Burton Advocates for Youth, March 2022)
- My car is my home: California students with nowhere nowhere to go (The Guardian, 4/2/22)
- Monterey Peninsula Unified School District partners with Motel 6 to reduce youth homelessness (Monterey Herald, 4/27/22)
- Expanding workforce and career development pathways for opportunity youth (California Opportunity Youth Network, 4/19/22)
- How families are advocating for children with disabilities in foster care (California Health Report, 4/22/22)
- Building bridges: How state policies can support postsecondary education success for students with experience in foster care (FAAN, 5/22)
- I am here: Vital documents legal hotline for youth (National Network for Youth, 5/1/22)
- Walter S Johnson Foundation invests in reducing homelessness among former foster youth (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 5/11/22)
- Accessing barriers for students with disabilities navigating housing issues (California Homeless Youth Project, 5/22)
- AAPI Heritage Month: Judge helps troubled youth to build a better future (Kron4, 5/12/22)
- Civil rights to counsel (Legal Services Funders Network, 5/19/22)
- Broken adoption (USA Today, 5/19/22)
- Creating housing for youth: Homekey’s 8% youth set aside in Round two (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 5/25/22)
- Profiles of success: How communities are using the homeless housing, assistance and prevention program to reduce youth homelessness (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 6/22)
- State budget for 2022-23 makes new $60m investment in court-appointed special advocates (California CASA, 6/30/22)
- How hidden foster care harms children and parents of color (Imprint, 7/7/22)
- California foster youth can still benefit from new state payments (Imprint, 7/12/22)
- Five steps to ensure your clients are benefitting from federal benefits (American Bar Association, 6/21/22)
- California is expanding tax credits. Thousands who need it most may not claim them (Los Angeles Times, 7/20/22)
- Decades after foster care, she learned she was owed benefits. Where did the money go? (NPR, 7/22/22)
- California's students in foster care: Challenges and promising practices (Learning Policy Institute, 7/26/22)
- The Michael Ziegler PRIDE Industries Foundation awarded a generous grant for the youth Success Initiative from the Walter S Johnson Foundation (PRIDE Industries, 8/2/22)
- Historic Stockton building hopes to revitalize downtown (CBS News, 9/12/22)
- Billing parents for their children's foster care? One California lawmaker says no! (Imprint, 9/28/22)
- For healthier school meals, California bets on more cooks in the kitchen (Civil Eats, 9/28/22)
- Can kinship care help the child welfare system? (New York Times, 10/13/22)
- Dial Fellowship - Marie Zemler Wu, Co Founder/FosterAmerica (Emerson Collective, 10/25/22)
- Hidden toll: Thousands of schools fail to count homeless students (Chalkbeat, 11/15/22)
- Students experiencing homelessness are supposed to get extra help. Here's how California can do better (California Health Report, 11/15/22)
- A better way to help young adults transition from foster care (Governing, 11/28/22)
- Boosted Diploma Evaluation Report, Nov 2022
- One WA school district helped homeless students graduate. Can others? (Seattle Times, 11/28/22)
- Program helps foster kids achieve college success (CBS News, 12/8/22)
- Amazon Prime/FosterMore support for foster youth (NFL Video, 12/8/22)
- 2022 Year in Review (John Burton Advocates for Youth, 12/16/22)
- Dawn Raines/Treehouse honored as "2022 Puget sounders who brighten our community" (Seattle Times, 12/21/22)
News from the field and from grantees
- Homeless youths face struggles in Shasta county (Redding Record Searchlight, 1/4/21)
- East Bay urban farm helps foster youths find purpose, community (East Bay Times, 1/8/21)
- Seneca Family of Agencies is helping immigrants separated from their families by ICE deal with mental trauma (AZ Central, 1/15/21)
- New initiative supports NV foster youth aging out of care (Public News Service, 1/28/21)
- A new study highlights promising jobs programs for foster youth (Imprint, 2/2/21)
- JBAY featured on KQED to discuss universal basic income for youth (KQED Forum, 3/3/21)
- California foster parents win vaccine eligibility, as fight continues in New York (Imprint, 3/16/21)
- Top Trump child welfare official and former foster youth will host COVID-19 town hall (Imprint, 3/18/21)
- The lost year: How the pandemic changed a generation of students (Time, 4/12/21)
- Young adults from foster care system need COVID relief funds now (Santa Monica Observer, 5/1/21)
- JBAY pilot program yields big results for youth (JBAY news,5/2/21)
- Eliminating barriers to WIOA services for system involved youth: California's need for a federal waiver (JBAY News, 6/21/21)
- New government benefit providing cell phone to California foster youth made permanent (Imprint, 7/15/21)
- JBAY helps foster youth receive federal pandemic relief (JBAY news, 8/5/21)
- Program that gives foster youths phone access gets extended by CPUC (KHTS-AM 1220/FM 98.1, 8/13/21)
- Pandemic relief funds for California foster youth slow to reach needy young adults at deadline approaches (Imprint, 8/31/21)
- How employment programs can support young people transitioning out of foster care: Formative evaluation findings of two employment programs (Urban Institute/Health & Human Services, 9/11/21)
- State approached to extending Chafee services to age 23: Insights to inform a learning agenda (Urban Institute/Health & Human Services, 9/14/21)
- I will never forget that I could have lived with people who loved me (Op Ed by Sixto Cancel, Think-of-Us Founder, New York Times, 9/16/21)
- Foster care youth face a pandemic cliff (Op Ed by iFoster, Center for New York City Affairs, 9/27/21)
- Why the foster care system needs to change as aid expires for thousands of aged-out youth (NPRIllinois, 10/1/21)
- Power to the public: Tackling child welfare and foster care (New America, 10/7/21)
- Fostering Academic Achievement Nationwide Network (FAAN Website, 10/22/21)
- Final Evaluation Report - Achievements Unlocked (Washoe County Human Services Agency, 10/21)
- California State Action Plan to End Youth Homelessness: 2021 Review (California Research Bureau, 10/28/21)
- Sharing the Spirit: Beyond Emancipation helps young people aging out of foster care (East Bay Times, 12/25/21)
News from the field and from grantees
- Khalia First Star BGSA class of 2020 (Fox11, 4/19/20)
- Fostering conversation: Spanning the digital divide (Resolve Magazine, 4/22/20)
- Grocery money zips straight to California's needy students amid school closures (Imprint, 5/5/20)
- The risk of hidden foster care during COVID19 (ABA, 6/1/20)
- Eleven weeks. 686 partners. 6,630 phones and laptops (Chronicle of Social Change, 6/17/20)
- How to support college students aging out of foster care during COVID19 (EdTrust, 6/23/20)
- Formerly homeless youth urge Congress to act during pandemic (YouthToday.org, 7/28/20)
- Disasters are driving a mental health crisis (California Health Report, 8/28/20)
- Hunger rises in Bay Area as pandemic lingers (San Francisco Chronicle, 9/14/20)
- Disparities become even bigger for foster youth (YouthRadio, 9/15/20)
- Homeless college students in California brace for more uncertainty (EdSource, 10/5/20)
- Coronavirus relief: for us, this is personal. The need for national assistance to older youth in care right now (Impact, 11/29/20)
- COVID 19 strips safety net for foster youth aging out during pandemic (MedPage Today, 12/8/20)
- Student resilience in the face of challenges at California's Community Colleges (California Research Bureau, 12/20)
- “Youth homeless and higher education – an overview” (SchoolHouse Connections, Jan 2019)
- “Food insecurity – better information could help students access federal food assistance benefits” (US Government Accountability Office, Jan 2019)
- “Lessons in Disaster Recovery from the Napa Valley Wildfires” (VOICES/On The Move, Jan 2019)
- “Op Ed – School funding ignores growing need of homeless students in rural California” (San Francisco Chronicle, Jan 2019)
- “Crisis on the Coast – The Bay Coastal Foster Youth and Homeless Student Population” (Pivot Learning, Feb 2019)
- “Homeless youth handbook – Helping homeless youth understand their legal rights” (Baker McKenzie, Feb 2019)
- “Roadmap to college” (Opportunity Junction, Feb 2019)
- “Supporting college transition for homeless youth – Online training for school staff ” (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Feb 2019)
- “California legislation eases access to financial aid for foster students”(Youth Today, Feb 2019)
- “Foster youth, careworkers diverge in views of youths’ preparedness for college” (Chapin Hall, March 2019)
- “Welcome to college career advocacy leadership, Inc.” (Cali website, April 2019)
- “Child welfare emergency fund” (Children Now, April 2019)
- “SSi trust – advocacy fact sheet” (Bay Area Legal Aid, April 2019)
- “Help 33,000 CA foster youth get the technology they need to thrive !” (iFoster, April 2019)
- “A $22 million plan to connect California foster youth to smart phones” (Chronicle of Social Change, April 2019)
- “iFoster teams up to provide California foster youth with smart phones” (iFoster blog, April 2019)
- “California approves free phones, internet for foster youth” (US News and World Report, April 2019)
- “Foster kids to get free smartphones starting in June” (89.3KPCC, April 2019)
- “Youth in foster care to get smartphones , internet access in pilot program” (USA Today, April 2019)
- “California foster youth in extended care have better postsecondary outcomes” (Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, May 2019)
- “Story of my life” (FosterMore, June 2019)
- "Everything you need to know about foster care explained" (GoodHousekeeping, June 4, 2019)
- "Understanding trauma to promote healing in child welfare" (Child Welfare Co Investment Funders, Summer 2019)
- “The California Children’s Trust Initiative: Financing new approaches to achieve child well-being” (California Children’s Trust, July 2019)
- “Former South Bay foster child pays it forward as family court judge” (The Mercury News, June 2, 2019)
- “Graduating from college still a struggle for many California foster youth” (EdSource, July 1, 2019)
- “California community colleges work to solve housing for foster youth (EdSource, Sept 12, 2019)
- Civicorps_Foster Youth Study (Civicorp, 2019)
- YouTube Video – The FAFSA challenge (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Jan 12, 2018)
- “Bill will give foster youth greater access to Cal Grant financing” (Daily Republic – Solano County News Source, Jan 2018)
- “Three strategies that helped San Francisco increase foster home application by 300%” (Chronicle for Social Change, Jan 2018)
- “Rural county leaders fund 1,100 computers for foster youth in 35 counties” (CISION PR Web, Jan 29, 2018
- “College aid a game changer for foster youth, but many don’t apply” (KPCC, Feb 19, 2019)
- “Lights, Camera, Juma!” (NBC Asian Pacific America, Jan 2018)
- “Bill to tackle student homelessness at CSU” (YourCentralValley.com, Feb 2018)
- “CSU conference at Sac State highlights housing, food insecurity” (The State Hornet, Feb 2018)
- “A court companion to the foster youth education toolkit” (Alliance for Children’s Rights, Mar 2018)
- “Remove financial aid roadblocks to open college doors for California’s foster youth” (Sacramento Bee, Mar 2018)
- “Equipped for success: Laptop donation supports more than 70 local foster youth” (Chico News & Review, May 2018)
- “National foster care month kicks off with distribution of laptops for foster youth” (Representing California’s Rural Counties, May 2018)
- “Foster youth in College” (Inside California Education, May 2018)
- “Older foster youth would be challenged by proposed work requirements for food stamps” (Chronicle of Social Change, June 2018)
- “California College Pathways foster youth program awarded the 2018 HUD secretary’s award for public-philanthropic partnerships” (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, July 2018)
- “Somewhere to turn- Meeting the mental health needs of adoptive and guardianship families” (Sierra Health Foundation, July 2018)
- “California advocates receive federal award for helping foster youth succeed in college” (Chronicle of Social Change, July 2018)
- “Beyond the safety net: Case management check in guide” (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Aug 2018)
- “Building a safety net for the safety net: Legal aid partnership with youth” (Bay Area Legal Aid, Aug 2018)
- “Nevada foster youth granted college tuition waiver” (Las Vegas Review, Sept 2018)
- “2017-2018 THP+FC & THP Plus Annual Report” (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Oct 2018)
- “California College Pathways Progress Update Report” (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Oct 2018)
- “Contra Costa CalFresh ABAWD Discovery Report Oct 2018” (Contra Costa Solano Food Bank, Oct 2018)
- “Nevada board of regents approves foster youth tuition and fee waiver policy” (Nevada Business Magazine, Oct 2018)
- “The dollars and sense of becoming a Medi-Cal contracted organization ” (First Place for Youth, Nov 2018)
- “Walter S Johnson Foundation receives the 2018 Bernard Osher Philanthropist of the Year Award” (Foundation for California Community Colleges, Nov 2018)
- “After the fire burns down their home, one California foster family stays together” (Chronicle of Social Change, Nov 2018)
- The James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards recognize Californians who are advancing innovative solutions to critical issues facing our state. WSJF former and current grantee – Julia Wilson, OneJustice and Ken Berrick, Senecca Families of Agencies – won this year’s award (Jan 2017).
- Selected from a pool of 15,000, Sixto Cancel, founder of ThinkofUs rec’d the “30 Under 30” award from Forbes (Jan 2017)
- Exploited, Abused Bay Area Youth Find Security at Dreamcatcher Youth Center in Oakland (ABC & Stars, Jan 25, 2017)
- Fix School Discipline – A Toolkit for Educators (Public Counsel, Feb 2017)
- A new website called FosteringQualityEducation.org helps foster youth evaluate a college, with warnings on risks often associated with for-profit colleges. There is a user-friendly video and links to websites with further assistance (Children’s Advocacy Institute, Jan 2017).
- Foster Kids Headed to Poverty, Pregnancy, and Prison Unless We Help (San Jose Mercury News Op Ed, Feb 11, 2017).
- The Resource Family Approval Toolkit helps walk caregivers throughCalifornia’s newly implemented Resource Family Approval process (Alliance for Children’s Rights & the Step Up Coalition, Feb 2017).
- Presentation to the California Child Welfare Council on the CalYOUTH Outcomes through Age 19 Study (University of Chicago, March 2017).
- Memo from CalYOUTH: Early Findings on the Relationships between Extended Foster Care and Youths’ Outcomes at Age 19 (University of Chicago, March 2017)
- Memo from CalYOUTH: Factors Associated with Youth Remaining in Foster Care as Young Adult (University of Chicago, April 2017)
- Findings from CalYOUTH: Conditions of Youth at Age 19, Los Angeles County Report (University of Chicago, May 2017)
- Memo from CalYOUTH: Predictors of High School Completion and College Entry at Ages 19/20 (University of Chicago, Aug 2017)
- Memo from CalYOUTH: The Use of Psychotropic Medications over Time among Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood (University of Chicago, Dec 2017)
- FosterMore “Story of Our Lives” wins Cynopsis Social Good Award for best social media ad (FosterMore, Mar 2017).
- Video Highlights from the Silicon Valley HackFosterCare event (HackFosterCare, Mar, 2017).
- Engaging Legal Services in Community Efforts to Prevent and End Homelessness (US Interagency Council on Homelessness, Feb 2017).
- Attorneys: More Funding Needed to Help East Bay Children’s Law Office (East Bay Times, Mar, 2017)
- Resources Supporting Homeless Students at California’s Public Universities and Colleges (California Homeless Youth Project, Apr 2017)
- The Renaissance Scholar – CSU East Bay (Video, Apr 2017)
- Grandfamilies.org – a national legal resource in support of grandfamilies within and outside the child welfare system (June 2017)
- Interview with ThinkofUs Founder Sixto Cancel – “Foster-Care Veteran Seeks to Use Tech to Ease Transition to Adult Life” (Chronicle of Philanthropy, July 2017)
- “One LaptopPer Foster Youth” promotional video (iFoster, 2017)
- “Washoe County Helping Foster Youth Showing Results” (Kolo8News, June 2017)
- “Guardian Scholars Program Provides Support for Former Foster Youth” (CSU Monterey Bay News, Aug 2017)
- “Foster Youth Informed Education Project” (Civicorps, Sept 2017)
- “Stepping Up for Foster Youth: A Policy Playbook for California’s Four Year Universities” (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Sept 21, 2017)
- “Tanoshi partners with iFoster to donate new, educational and age-appropriate computers to foster youth” (PR Web, Sept 27, 2017)
- “Validation of the CSE-IT” (WestCoast Children’s Clinic, Sept 2017)
- “Video Profiles Community College Students Enrolled in Fresh Success Program” (Foundation for California Community Colleges, Oct 2017)
- “From Foster Care to Motherhood – A Radio Diary” (KALW, Oct 2, 2017) and “Promotional Video” (First Place for Youth, Oct 2017)
- “Youth Radio Win Third Coast Award” (Youth Radio Press Release, Oct 18, 2017)
- “Accelerating Success: Turning Insights into Action for Foster Youth at California Community Colleges” (John Burton Advocates for Youth, Oct 16, 2017)
- “From Interns to Influencer: Foster Youth Internship Program a Growing Force on Federal Policy” (Chronicle of Social Change, Oct 18, 2017)
- “In California Wine Country, Child Welfare Responds to Wild Fire” (Chronicle of Social Change, Nov 22, 2017)
- “Summer Scholars” (Epicenter/UC Merced, Nov 30, 2017)
- “These States are Helping Former Foster Youth Navigate College” (PBS News Hour, Dec 7, 2017)
- “For Foster Care Kids, College Degrees are Elusive,” (HuffPost, Dec 7, 2017)
- “Yolo County and Woodland Community College Partner to Create a Safe Space for Youth” (Woodland Daily Democrats, Dec 7, 2017)
- “Building A Pathway to Resilience For Foster Youth Through Social Capital” (Chronicle of Social Change, Dec 11, 2017)
- “In California, A Push to Help More Foster Youth Get Financial Aid” (Chronicle of Social Change, Dec 19, 2017)
- “Balancing Head and Heart: California’s Child Welfare Workforce” (California Child Welfare Co Investment Partnership, Dec 19, 2017)
- The Walter S. Johnson Foundation is part of the Youth Transitional Funders Group, a national network of funders that work together to support the well-being and economic success of vulnerable young people age 14 to 25. “The Well-Being Journey for Youth in Foster Care ” (Feb 2016) is a video developed by the Foster Care Work Group of the Youth Transition Funders Group
- The Walter S. Johnson Foundation is part of the California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership, a collaboration of private and public organizations working to improve outcomes in the child welfare system. “Crossover Youth: A Shared Responsibility” (Insights, Volume X) offers an overview of data, policy and reform efforts that seek to better understand youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice system in California (Feb 2016).
- California College Pathways published a new two year study, Charting the Course: Using Data to Support Foster Youth College Success. This report offers insights into the educational experiences of foster youth attending community colleges and universities throughout the state by providing information on a common set of academic progress and outcome measures. A one-page overview of key findings and policy and practice implications is available here (Feb 2016).
- “Access to Justice: Q&A with our Legal Services Funder Network” – WSJF Program Officer Yali Lincroft is interviewed by Northern California Grantmakers regarding her role as steering committee member for the Legal Services Funders Network (March 2016).
- Fresh Success is the new CalFresh Employment and Training Model, implemented in Spring 2016. The Foundation for California Community College is partnering with the California Department of Social Services to help CalFresh recipients in community colleges and community-based organizations gain skills and employment.
- Yali Lincroft, Program Officer for the Walter S. Johnson Foundation attended the ninth annual Clinton Global Initiative hosted at UC Berkeley, CA. The Chronicle of Social Change published her piece on the experience (April 4, 2016).
- “Failing Grade: How California’s School Districts Have Abandoned Children with Disabilities” (Western Center on Law & Poverty, April 2016). This new report details how 580,000 children with mental disabilities have been left without help and have, in some cases, been sent to juvenile hall, rather than getting the school based mental health services to which they are legally entitled. This failure is particularly egregious in light of the massive state payments to local school districts that supposedly paid for the services.
- Raley’s Marks 1st Anniversary of Hiring Foster Youth (Progressive Grocer, May 2016).
- VOICES Sonoma County announces “Changing the Story: Recommendations to Improve Services for Transition Age Foster Youth in Sonoma County” (May 2016).
- Findings from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH): Conditions of Youth at Age 19 (May 2016).
- UC Berkeley researcher Dr. Jill Duerr Berrick studies select California counties prior to the implementation of the “Approved Relative Care Funding Options Program” (ARC) to understand the caregiver characteristics and the characteristics of the children in their care in this report (May 2016).
- Echoing Green Fellow Serita Cox, Leverages the Internet of Things to Innovate the Child Welfare System (Huffington Post, June 2016).
- Final Report on Fresno and Santa Clara Counties Efforts to Improve Outcomes for Latino Youth and LGBTQ Youth (Center for the Study of Social Policy, Summer 2016)
- Special Immigrant Juvenile Justice – Guidance for Practitioners (Center for the Study of Social Policy, July 2016)
- The California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership‘s latest issue of insights Volume XI, On Balance: The Courts & Child Welfare. (Fall 2016).
- This issue of insights examines the juvenile court’s role in the child welfare system and provides recommendations on how to best meet the complex needs of children and families in child welfare.
- Transitional Age Foster Youth – Getting Them Into and Through College (Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, Fall 2016). This report describes the barriers that foster youth in the Central Valley region of California face in attending college and makes recommendations for college policies and programs to remove those barriers.
- iFoster Announces Employer Tax Bill for Foster Youth (Yahoo News, Sept 2016). iFoster (www.ifoster.org) announced today that H.R.5947, the “Improved Employment Outcomes For Foster Youth Act of 2016” was introduced in Congress. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to include transition age foster youth as categorically eligible for purposes of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). Employers may be eligible to receive a credit of up to $2,400 annually for each foster youth hired.
- Practices with Promise – The Guardian Scholars Program at Skyline College (Campaign for College Opportunity, Oct 2016).