Rhode Island Joint Task Force on the Education of Children and Youth in the Care of DCYF

Welcome to the website of the Joint Task Force on the Education of Children and Youth in the Care of DCYF. We sponsored legislation establishing this commission because we both recognized the need to look at the best ways to ensure educational success for children and youth in the state's care. The 2008 passage of the federal Fostering Connections Act provides the state with new opportunities and responsibilities in terms of education for youth in foster care, and other ongoing reforms in both the child welfare and K-12 education systems in the state make this a perfect time to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to look closely at this issue.

The charge of the commission is to identify challenges to ensuring the educational stability and success of children and youth involved with DCYF from pre-K through college undergraduates, including, but not limited to, the following related issues:

· Determining when a child's and/or youth's educational placement is not in their best interest;

·  Ensuring that transportation issues are addressed to assist in maintaining educational stability;

· Immediate transfer of student records and collaboration between schools on the provision of student information when a student needs to move schools;

· Ensuring the portability of student credits and graduation requirement expectations when a student's educational placement changes;

· Identifying issues related to school residency and/or educational funding issues related to youth involved with DCYF; and

· Issues related to ensuring the stability of educational placements unless they are not in the best interest of the child; and ensuring that schools and school districts collaborate in sending and obtaining the information and records necessary when a child/youth moves schools;

Beginning in September 2011, the Task Force began holding a series of monthly meetings to look at these issues and to work towards identifying and recommending to the General Assembly strategies to address them. We welcome your interest in our work as well as your ideas and questions. In practical, we welcome the public's input into the findings and recommendations of our draft report. To submit comments or any questions on the Task Force's work, contact Robert Kalaskowski in the Senate Policy Office at 276-5595 or Peter Asen in the House Policy Office at 528-1749

Sincerely,

Senator Rhoda Perry, District 3, Providence

Representative Eileen Naughton, District 21, Warwick

Co-Chairs

 

Senator Rhoda Perry (D-Providence) – Co-chair
Representative Eileen Naughton (D-Warwick) – Co-chair
Senator Francis Maher (R-Exeter) – Senate Minority Member
Representative John Savage (R-East Providence) – House Minority Member
Janice DeFrances – Director, RI Department of Children Youth and Families
J. David Sienko, Education Specialist, RI Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Dr. Roberta S. Pearlmutter, Dean of the School of Social Work, Rhode Island College
Dennis B. Langley, President/ CEO, Urban League of Rhode Island
Doris Blanchard, Board Chair, Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA)
Channavy Chhay, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians
Jo Eva Gaines, Newport School Committee
Stephen Scott Mueller, South Kingstown School Committee
Frances Gallo, Superintendent of Schools, Central Falls School Department
Kathy Crowley, Superintendent of Schools, Little Compton School Department
Michael Burk, Assistant to the Director, Department of Children, Youth and Families Co-Chair, DCYF Child Welfare Advisory Council’s Education Subcommittee
Lisa Guillette Executive Director, RI Foster Parents Association Co-Chair, DCYF Child Welfare Advisory Council’s Education Subcommittee
Danphargie (Dee) St. Franc, The Voice Kimberly Velazquez, The Voice
Michael Laferriere, parent of child involved with or formerly involved with DCYF
Mary L. Johnson, parent of child involved with or formerly involved with DCYF
Maya Colantuono, foster parent