What is Foster Youth Educational Services?
Fresno County Foster Youth Educational Services provides services to students in foster care or homeless situations. Our goal is to improve educational access and outcomes for homeless and foster youth. Foster Youth Educational Services (FYES) is a state funded educational advocacy program that targets wards and dependents residing in group homes and foster homes in Fresno County. The purpose of the FYES program is to provide advocacy and other services designed to meet three broad goals:
- Increase Academic Achievement
- Decrease Truancy
- Decrease Discipline Referrals
Program Rationale
The FYES program strives to address the unique needs and challenges of foster youth in Fresno County by working collaboratively with schools, placing agencies, care providers and other related agencies. We know that foster children, as a group, tend to function at a lower academic level, are less likely to graduate from high school, exhibit more behavior problems and have lower self-esteem than the general school-age population. Therefore, it is essential that they are provided with the advocacy and support needed to face these challenges. The goal of Foster Youth Educational Services is to provide this support and to help foster children develop the skills and confidence necessary to become effective students and adults.
FYES Services
FYES provides a variety of services to foster youth, their biological parents, group home providers, placing agencies, schools and other agencies:
- Advocate for students who are experiencing delays in enrollment
- Provide assistance to placing agencies and care providers in meeting legal obligations when foster youth are placed in new school districts
- Expedite the transfer of school records
- Provide support in finding appropriate school programs
- Assist in mediation between group homes, schools and/or placing agencies
- Student Advocacy Training (SATraining)
- Tutoring
Additional Services
FYES is deeply committed to providing proactive services that address potential problems before foster youth are placed:
- Pre-placement school records review for care providers or placing agencies to determine what school programs are available prior to placement
- Training for all stakeholders on critical issues including educational rights, legal mandates, special education and other school related topics
FYES Brochure (pdf)