Youth and Foster Care

​Fostering Connections Act

More than 13,000 Michigan children are in foster care because their birth families cannot provide a safe and secure home.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), foster care placements in Oakland County have increased for the first time in over a decade. Of these 13,000 children in foster care, the majority of them are school-aged.  Sadly, 56-75% of foster youth change schools when first entering the foster care system. Each of these moves can set back a child's chances for academic success and create educational struggles that last years.

Fostering Connections is a national initiative supporting students who are a part of the in foster care system.

It is the shared commitment of Oakland Schools and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to do everything possible to ensure that students in foster care achieve academic success and graduate alongside their peers. 

Hundreds of students in Oakland County are provided with coordinated services to assist them in their pursuit of a high school diploma.

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 allows children in foster care to remain enrolled in their school of origin for the entire time they are in foster care. The law assists the community  and the school by providing support for children in the child welfare system to minimize school moves and concentrate on achievement while maintaining a stable school environment.  

Oakland Schools is proud to support the efforts of the Fostering Connections Act and the students it serves.