College help for a child in foster care

[Anonymous]

IMO the academic and social transition to a 4 year college would be too steep.

Start with community college, continue the academic improvement, build confidence, maintain a stable home life, then look to transfer.

Use community college as the "clean state" academically.

I'm sure the academic transcript will look better at a CC for starters.

[Anonymous]

The strongest argument for a community college for her, OP, is that the faculty and staff at a CC are going to be much, MUCH more prepared to help this student succeed than will the faculty/staff of an institution that is geared for traditional college-age students from "traditional" families. She will be intrinsically included, vs. having to do some combination of explaining herself and her background and hiding it.

[Anonymous]

Maybe McDaniel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The strongest argument for a community college for her, OP, is that the faculty and staff at a CC are going to be much, MUCH more prepared to help this student succeed than will the faculty/staff of an institution that is geared for traditional college-age students from "traditional" families. She will be intrinsically included, vs. having to do some combination of explaining herself and her background and hiding it.

i really disagree, the exception might be richard bland bc of the residential aspect. Community colleges are so easy to get lost in, there is not a I would recommend a small private college where her professors know her and there is a big emphasis on community.

To the other small colleges, I'd add Bridgewater College, Roanoke College, and Mary Baldwin.

Another good option is GMU living on campus. On one hand it's good to have a small community, on the other hand it may feel claustrophobic and she might feel she can find her friend group more easily in a larger school like GMU.

In MD I'd consider Notre Dame of MD, Goucher, and Hood.

[Anonymous]

Add McDaniel in Maryland

[Anonymous]

I think that Hollins University is a kind, low-key place that’s hungry for students (because it’s a women’s liberal arts college in a city most people haven’t heard of) that has decent funding, loyal alumnae and a solid faculty. It’s a school where the professors would probably find a way to pass a serious, struggling student who was making an effort but would also find a way to challenge a strong student who ended up there because of merit aid.

So, Hollins could nurse your daughter past the bad days and give her a UNC-level education on the good days.

My guess is that Hollins would be happy to get an application from your daughter and would take the time to understand her situation. If it couldn’t admit your daughter, maybe it would help her find a suitable alternative.

[Anonymous]

I have experience sending a child in foster care to college. Please don’t see underestimate the lure of ‘no longer being in the system’ if she drops out of college. (In our state kids stay in foster care with great college benefits if they stay enrolled. If they aren’t enrolled, they are independent adults at age 18).

Another vote for community college. If she can get a 2 yr associates, that is permanent credits, versus 2 years at a 4 year school that could be revaluated to be fewer credits if she takes a, say, 10 year break.

Lastly, she experienced highly extenuating circumstances in her 1 st year of high school. If she applies to a college with individual admissions decisisons, that first year of poor grades won’t be held against her.

[Anonymous]

I was going to say Shenandoah University plus McDaniel (as some have mentioned).

[Anonymous]

And thank you for proving this young girl with the support and stability she needs and deserves.

[Anonymous]

Consider speaking with an educational advocate about options for extending her time in school. With an IEP she can go to school until age 22- during that time she can receive transition services, job training services, even have funds available for dual enrollment while maintaining the services and supports provided by an IEP. There are so many options available for children that aren’t quite ready to make that leap immediately when they turn 17 or 18.

www.wrightslaw.com

www.pathfindersforautism.org

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi All, I have a child in her junior year. She came to us summer after freshman year with a .5 GPA. Home life was a shit show. Drinking, drugs, meth cooking - the works. It was also the pandemic and she was virtually learning from this disaster. You read that right. zero point five. Last year (sophomore year) she worked hard and with the help of an IEP for emotional issues and a stable home life was able to achieve a about a 3.2, which brought her GPA up to 1.9. We still have more time to pull her GPA up, but there is only so high she will be able to pull it.

Her test scores are not great. I've only seen what she took before her accommodations were in place. She is an auditory/visual learner. Reading comprehension has been something we are actively working on. So I'm not sure the test scores will help us. The are also lots of gaps in her "fund of knowledge" that we are continuing to work to fill. This is mostly due to all the disruptions in her childhood.

She's continued on this upward trajectory and she really wants to go to a four year university and have the college experience. Her life has been disrupted so many times, that she's never been able to embrace any kind of "normal experience." So I would love for her to have the college experience that she wants, which is why we are looking outside of community colleges. (I'd love for her to have a dorm experience, maybe go to sports games, have a campus life, join a club - really make friends and have the opportunity to spend several years with them at college).

She would like to stay close to the DMV area. Maybe within 3-4 hours max, but I think the closer the better.

I am looking at these, but I don't know much. I obviously do not want to suggest anything to her that would be impossible.
-Randolph-Macon/Randolph College
-ODU
-VCU
-Longwood
-Sweet Briar
-Hollins
-Radford
-JMU
-Shepherd University

Would any colleges be open to understanding her circumstances that contributed to the numbers? Are there any colleges that you could suggest that might be a good fit? I have emailed the school counselor but they are understandably preoccupied with seniors applying to college right now. Reps are coming to the school this fall and I would like to have her attend a few sessions so she can start to form some opinions and ideas about what she wants.

[/]

Maybe also look at private colleges that might do bigger financial aid packages that make it comparable to state schools? Not sure which privates are in area with higher acceptance rates. Washington College or St John’s college? Both in md — maybe there are other md or Delaware private small schools? there must be more. Maybe search liberal arts and pick some that are on top school lists but farther down on those lists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Consider speaking with an educational advocate about options for extending her time in school. With an IEP she can go to school until age 22- during that time she can receive transition services, job training services, even have funds available for dual enrollment while maintaining the services and supports provided by an IEP. There are so many options available for children that aren’t quite ready to make that leap immediately when they turn 17 or 18.

www.wrightslaw.com

www.pathfindersforautism.org

Having an IEP for emotional issues means she is probably on diploma track. It would not be kn her interest to be 19 or 20 and in a transition program with kids with more significant disabilities. She needs to be in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi All, I have a child in her junior year. She came to us summer after freshman year with a .5 GPA. Home life was a shit show. Drinking, drugs, meth cooking - the works. It was also the pandemic and she was virtually learning from this disaster. You read that right. zero point five. Last year (sophomore year) she worked hard and with the help of an IEP for emotional issues and a stable home life was able to achieve a about a 3.2, which brought her GPA up to 1.9. We still have more time to pull her GPA up, but there is only so high she will be able to pull it.

Her test scores are not great. I've only seen what she took before her accommodations were in place. She is an auditory/visual learner. Reading comprehension has been something we are actively working on. So I'm not sure the test scores will help us. The are also lots of gaps in her "fund of knowledge" that we are continuing to work to fill. This is mostly due to all the disruptions in her childhood.

She's continued on this upward trajectory and she really wants to go to a four year university and have the college experience. Her life has been disrupted so many times, that she's never been able to embrace any kind of "normal experience." So I would love for her to have the college experience that she wants, which is why we are looking outside of community colleges. (I'd love for her to have a dorm experience, maybe go to sports games, have a campus life, join a club - really make friends and have the opportunity to spend several years with them at college).

She would like to stay close to the DMV area. Maybe within 3-4 hours max, but I think the closer the better.

I am looking at these, but I don't know much. I obviously do not want to suggest anything to her that would be impossible.
-Randolph-Macon/Randolph College
-ODU
-VCU
-Longwood
-Sweet Briar
-Hollins
-Radford
-JMU
-Shepherd University

Would any colleges be open to understanding her circumstances that contributed to the numbers? Are there any colleges that you could suggest that might be a good fit? I have emailed the school counselor but they are understandably preoccupied with seniors applying to college right now. Reps are coming to the school this fall and I would like to have her attend a few sessions so she can start to form some opinions and ideas about what she wants.

[/]

Maybe also look at private colleges that might do bigger financial aid packages that make it comparable to state schools? Not sure which privates are in area with higher acceptance rates. Washington College or St John’s college? Both in md — maybe there are other md or Delaware private small schools? there must be more. Maybe search liberal arts and pick some that are on top school lists but farther down on those lists?

St. John's has a distinctive "great books" curriculum, so it's not a typical college.

[Anonymous]

Maybe Roanoke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Consider speaking with an educational advocate about options for extending her time in school. With an IEP she can go to school until age 22- during that time she can receive transition services, job training services, even have funds available for dual enrollment while maintaining the services and supports provided by an IEP. There are so many options available for children that aren’t quite ready to make that leap immediately when they turn 17 or 18.

www.wrightslaw.com

www.pathfindersforautism.org

Having an IEP for emotional issues means she is probably on diploma track. It would not be kn her interest to be 19 or 20 and in a transition program with kids with more significant disabilities. She needs to be in college.

If the child was in an environment that OP describes then she very well could benefit from additional IEP services. Nobody can assess that except OP, with the assistance of an advocate or lawyer. Extending school is very beneficial ESPECIALLY in situations similar to this and quite common actually. It is not something that can be assessed on an anonymous forum.