Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law Assembly Bill 243, aimed at making it easier for at-risk youth to get financial aid for college.<\/p>\n
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Silicon Valley), seeks to reduce barriers to institutions of higher learning for young people involved in the juvenile justice or child welfare systems.<\/p>\n
Ahrens said the new law taking effect Jan. 1 will cut red tape, increase the chances of at-risk young people becoming productive members of society and reduce their likelihood of incarceration as adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cFoster youth are six times more likely to go to jail than they are to go to college,\u201d said Danielle Dace, a former court appointed special advocate now serving as CASA-Sacramento\u2019s training and recruitment director.<\/p>\n
AB 243 seeks to simplify college access by allowing higher education institutions to accept a statement from a local education agency, county probation department, or welfare department as proof of financial independence for the purposes of admissions or financial aid applications, streamlining a process that often creates barriers for system-involved students.<\/p>\n
Under the new law, at a youth\u2019s request, a county child welfare or probation department can share information from their case file with a higher education institution to help with attendance or financial aid eligibility.<\/p>\n
While Dace has questions about the language and application of AB 243, she\u2019s certain foster youth need all the help they can get. Given their histories with trauma and instability, many don\u2019t see higher education as being for them, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are really focused on getting our youth to graduate high school. Anything after that is a bonus,\u201d Dace said. \u201cA lot of kids are kind of done with school. It\u2019s difficult getting through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The local advocate applauds Sacramento State for its efforts to support former foster youth through its Guardian Scholar Program, the Guaranteed Income program it administers in partnership with the local United Way and the Black Honors College.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love what Sac State is doing,\u201d she said. \u201cDr. [Luke] Wood, as a former foster youth himself, really has a heart for this. It\u2019s one thing for the kids to get to college, but it\u2019s quite another thing to have them stay in college and graduate from college. The work that Dr. Wood is doing to make sure that once they get there, that they have the support and resources to graduate is phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for AB 243, Dace will \u201cwait and see\u201d if the new law actually eliminates bureaucracy, as it promises.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s difficult for youth to navigate that on their own,\u201d she said of the many forms and eligibility requirements that come with college enrollment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s definitely where a CASA can come in and help them figure out all of this stuff,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd quite honestly, sometimes our CASAs need help in helping them figure it out because it\u2019s a lot. To expect them to do this on their own, it\u2019s daunting and I understand why many of them don\u2019t pursue college right away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approximately 2.2 million California students receive financial aid, according to the California Student Aid Commission. In the UC and CSU systems, more than 75% of undergraduates and nearly 70% of undergraduates receive financial aid, respectively, with a significant portion receiving aid that covers full tuition. About half of California community college students receive grants and scholarships.<\/p>\n
Financial aid can be a motivating factor for individuals to go to college. Most foster youth age out of the system without the familial financial or social support systems that other young adults rely on, making financial aid their primary, and often sole, means of paying for college.<\/p>\n
In 2024, California lawmakers introduced bills to combat hunger and poverty on school campuses. These included AB 2033, requiring community college stores to accept EBT cards, and AB 274, exempting educational financial aid from CalWORKs and CalFresh income calculations.<\/p>\n
Dace worries how local foster youth will fare with federal budget cuts and the freezing of SNAP\/EBT funds. A number of those aided by CASA-Sacramento are in California\u2019s Extended Foster Care Program, also known as the AB 12 program, which allows eligible youth in child welfare and probation systems to remain in foster care from ages 18-21. They can receive ongoing foster care services and assistance such as case management and financial support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are definitely going to be affected,\u201d Dace said. \u201cI know someone personally who is receiving those benefits and she said she got a letter that said she has benefits through the seventh and then they would let them know after that.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump\u2019s political actions have Dace scratching her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just mind boggling,\u201d she said. \u201cHow are you spending billions of dollars on a ballroom, tearing up part of the White House, and kids all over the country are going to be left with no food?\u201d<\/p>\n
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