GAHSC

The Education of Children in State Custody
The Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children
May 16, 2001
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Residential Child Care Agencies daily face enormous challenges of educating children who can not live at home because of neglect or abuse or emotional and behavioral disorders. A residential childcaring agency may be a group home, emergency shelter, therapeutic group home or an intensive, therapeutic group home. They address these challenges by providing education to the children through on-campus classes, tutorials, and private schooling. Over 25% of all children in out of home residential care are educated in settings other than the public schools.

This fact presents other challenges to the agencies, as well. The high cost of education must be captured through charitable dollars by the agencies that provide it. The State also assumes some of the cost of education through the per diems that are paid to the agencies. The federal FTE educational dollars are not captured for these children in most cases -- either by the state, the agencies, or the county boards of education. In some cases, the counties are capturing the FTE dollars without providing the children with educational services nor reimbursing the agencies for the educational services provided.

Federal and State education dollars are not following foster children. These children are in a "no-man's land" where they are not counted for educational purposes nor for financial purposes. These children often fall through educational gaps, and Georgia is losing thousands of dollars because of their failure to capture the FTE dollars.

The result of this failure to account for the education of these children and to maximize resources is hurting both the children and the agencies that care for them. Agencies must reduce services for children because child welfare dollars are being spent to pay for educational services. Children in out of home care generally cannot be provided with the array of services they would receive if their education were paid with state and federal FTE dollars. Unless providers are able to recoup with charitable dollars the subsidy of their on-campus educational programs, they simply cannot afford these programs.

There is little accountability for educating these children from the county boards of education. No local dollars are designated for the education of these children. They are not on the school roles. In most situations they are not counted by the school system's FTE count. In most situations these children are relegated to a second class status of no name, no money, and no count.

The Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children advocates for these principles to be included in any education policy.

1. The Georgia Department of Education will be accountable for the education of all children.

2. The Department of Education should fund the education of children in out of home care and children who can not be educated in the regular school system.

3. Child Welfare dollars should not be used to educate children.

4. Georgia needs a clear policy about how educational services will be funded to Georgia's foster children.

5. Federal and State Educational dollars need to be maximized for educational services.

For more information contact:

Education Reform Website

GAHSC
34 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404 572 6170