Governor Carney Signs Bill Creating Tuition Waiver Program for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

New program waives tuition, room and board at Delaware public universities and colleges for eligible students

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday signed into law House Bill 123, legislation sponsored by Representative Krista Griffith and Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth Lockman that creates the Delaware Fostering Independence Through Education Tuition Waiver Program to support students in foster care as they work toward a higher education degree. This new program requires Delaware State University, Delaware Tech Community College and the University of Delaware to waive all tuition and fees, including room and board, for any youth who has aged out or spent at least one year in foster care as a teenager.

“Making sure all of Delaware’s students have an opportunity to succeed has been our top priority,” said Governor Carney. “This legislation will ensure some of our most vulnerable children are supported when pursuing higher education. Thank you to Representatives Griffith and Longhurst, Senators Lockman and Poore, the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, and other advocates who carried this important legislation over the finish line. Our children will be better off because of it.”

Under this legislation, eligible students must apply for any and all financial aid before being granted the tuition waiver for any leftover tuition and fees. Students may use the tuition waiver until they turn 27.

“Investing in our students’ dreams has a ripple effect across Delaware. With this tuition waiver program, our youth in care have a chance to leap over obstacles as they enter adulthood. I’m thankful for the support of our Governor and the Delaware Legislature to make this program a reality,” said Josette Manning, Cabinet Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families (DSCYF). “Our youth who experience foster care are incredibly resilient, despite facing a disproportionate number of challenges in their young lives, and we can do our part as a state to support them on their journey.”

Prior to this legislation being signed, youth experiencing foster care only had access to the federal Chafee Educational and Training Voucher program and the Ivyane D.F. Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund, a state-funded scholarship program. With the tuition waiver program in place, youth who have experienced foster care can pursue their dreams without worrying about how to pay for college or where to find housing.

“We know that young people who have been through the foster care system as teens and have aged out experience worse outcomes overall than their peers in terms of educational attainment, full-time employment, stable housing and financial independence,” said Rep. Krista Griffith, lead House sponsor of HB 123. “We can do more to make sure our students in foster care thrive as adults by removing the financial barrier to higher education. This will encourage youth in foster care to go out and earn a college degree, giving them tools they need to identify and obtain a path forward to achieving their dreams.”

“Young people who have worked hard to get to college after spending significant time in Delaware’s foster care system deserve every ounce of our support,” said Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman. “I want to thank Rep. Krista Griffith and Governor John Carney for recognizing that fact and taking action today to remove barriers that prevent some of our most vulnerable young people from achieving their goals, realizing their potential, and embarking on an education that will lead them to a brighter future.”

According to DSCYF, it is estimated that about 15-20 incoming freshmen will likely take advantage of tuition waivers under House Bill 123 each year. Governor Carney supported this legislation in his 2020 State of the State Address.

“This legislation is so important,” said Mayda Berrios, student at Delaware State University. “Although I’m graduating this year, I am so happy that some many young people will be able to benefit from this. Thanks to the members of the General Assembly who pushed this beyond the Youth Advisory Council and made this into a bill today so that the future generation of foster youth who are experiencing hardships can now experience higher education.”  

Additional information on the tuition waiver program can be found here.

Video from today’s bill signing can be found here.

Photos from today’s bill signing can be found here.

###


Delaware Children’s Department to Host Nearly 400 for Foster Parent Conference

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                   Contact: Joseph Smack  joseph.smack@delaware.gov 

May 14, 2019                                                                                                                                      302-633-2501 or 302-893-8930 (m)

Delaware Children’s Department to Host Nearly 400 for Foster Parent Conference

Workshops offer best practice for parenting children exposed to trauma and recognize the contributions of foster families in Delaware

Bridgeville – Nearly 400 foster families, Division of Family Services staff and service providers will gather in Bridgeville on Thursday, May 16th at Heritage Shores Clubhouse (1 Heritage Shores Circle), to learn more about best practice tools and strategies to help care for children who experience Delaware’s foster care system. The theme for the Foster Parent Conference and Recognition Luncheon hosted by the State’s Division of Family Services (DFS) is ‘Full Hands – Full Hearts’. DFS officials say foster parents provide a critically important role in Delaware’s child protective services system. 

“They open their hearts and their homes to care for these children, many of whom have experienced a variety of trauma in their young lives, and provide love, nurturing, stability, safety and support”, said DFS Director Trenee Parker. “It is our goal to support them through this conference so they can even more effectively care for the children who enter their homes”. 

Workshops cover a variety of topics including strategies for dealing with challenging teen behaviors, understanding the impact of trauma on children’s behavior and techniques to build resiliency, caring for substance-exposed babies, how to help children maintain familial bonds and connections while in care, the impact of trauma on behavior, and helping children in care get through school and transition into adulthood. Workshops begin at 9:00 am with foster parent recognition awards beginning at 12:30 pm. 

Foster parents provide a temporary home to children who have entered the child protective services system due to abandonment, abuse and/or neglect and prepare them to either reunify with their birth family or move onto a new permanent family when reunification is not appropriate. There are approximately 650 children currently in foster care in Delaware. 

“I see foster parents as the starting point for our children’s healing journey”, said Josette Manning, Cabinet Secretary for the Children’s Department. “Our foster parents are some of the most dedicated and caring people in Delaware. This conference is a great opportunity for the Children’s Department to hear from them regarding what they are experiencing on a daily basis and what supports they might need to better provide a nurturing environment for our children. It is also our chance to share the initiatives we’re developing to better support their work with children in very challenging circumstances.” Manning concluded. These initiatives include additional training opportunities and respite support. 

Additionally, the Division of Family Services is in need of, and actively recruiting, more families to care for teens, sibling groups and children with special needs or who are medically fragile. 

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have behavioral health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit kids.delaware.gov 

# # # 


Heart2Heart Hugs Warm Clothing Drive

Dover- Principal Shan Green of Central Middle School proudly presented opening remarks at the kickoff of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens (GACEC) Heart 2 Heart Hugs warm clothing drive. The annual drive, in its 9th year, collects new warm items for the children in Delaware who are homeless, under housed, or in foster care. This years campaign is an initiative to collect a broader range of warm items. New items such as sleeping bags, coats, hats, sweatshirts and gloves that will bring warmth to a child in need.

“As the weather gets colder and the holiday’s approach, it is important we remember to help Delawareans most in need.” Said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long. “I’m proud to support he Heart 2 Heart Hugs campaign and its efforts to provide needed items to thousands of homeless and foster care children across the state.”

“Heart 2 Heart Hugs is a statewide drive that begins in November- with various organizations and companies throughout the state offering their time and resources to collect and deliver items to Delaware’s Nearly 5,000 children who are homeless, in foster care or under housed. Representative Harvey Kenton shared, “It was an honor and privilege to attend the Heart 2 Heart Hugs kickoff event today. Everyone deserves to have warm clothing and a hug. I encourage everyone to get involved…”

“Additionally, out of the nearly 5,000 children in Delaware who are homeless or in foster care, approximately one-third are children with disabilities,” explained Wendy Strauss, Director of GACEC which serves as the state advisory panel for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its amendments. “We connect hearts and collect hugs for children who are underprivileged.”

Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen, who has been involved with the drive for many years, shared “Heart 2 Heart Hugs is a program that for 9 years has warmed not only the children in need but also the hearts of those who embrace this cause. It helps each of us, young and old, to live the Golden Rule. I heartily encourage everyone to become a part of something bigger… by helping others.”

The warm clothing drive will collect new items through February 10, 2018. Drop off points are located throughout the state and can be found on the GACEC website at www.gacec.delaware.gov. Interested parties may also contact GACEC offices (302) 739-4553 for additional information a bout drop offs or about becoming a partner.


Lt. Governor Denn Talks with Religious Leaders and Congregations This Weekend

Asking Houses of Worship to Identify Possible Foster Families

DOVER, Del., (Friday, March 15, 2013) – This weekend, Lt. Governor Matt Denn will visit with clergy and church members to continue talking about his Faith, Family & Foster Care Initiative.

Saturday – City of Wilmington and Dover (see information below)
Sunday – New Castle (see information below)

Right now in Delaware, there are more than 850 children in foster care and only 400 foster families available for placing these children.  The Lt. Governor’s goal is to help find a family that is the best fit for each child, based on that child’s social, emotional, and physical needs, as well as geographical and educational situations.  To do that, Delaware needs to significantly increase the number of families that provide foster care/become foster parents for Delaware’s children.

“That is where our faith community comes in,” says Lt. Governor Denn.  “Most of our religious denominations have as one of their central tenets, ‘the care of the most vulnerable among us.’  Caring for foster children captures all of what Micah told us were the core demands on people of faith:  to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.  So we believe that we will find in Delaware’s houses of worship many families willing to step up, take on what we acknowledge to be a real challenge, and help these kids.”

The Lt. Governor is asking congregations in Delaware to find a family from its midst that would be willing to explore being a foster family.  If even a fraction of our state’s congregations take part in this “Faith, Family & Foster Care” initiative, we will dramatically increase the number of foster parents in our state.  And that, in turn, will make a real difference in the lives of these foster children. These children deserve no less than the caring and support of a loving family.

The Lt. Governor has a locally-produced five minute video featuring foster and adoptive families, and foster care recipients that is being shared with the faith community all over Delaware.  The video is available on the Lt. Governor’s website at http://ltgov.delaware.gov .  In addition, information about becoming foster parents is posted so those interested can see what the responsibilities are and contact the Division of Family Services for further assistance.  DFS will then work with prospective foster parents to connect them with an appropriate participating agency.

Lt. Governor Denn routinely visits houses of worship throughout the state.  If you are interested in learning more about the Lt. Governor’s “Faith, Family & Foster Care” initiative, please call 302-744-4333 for more information or to schedule a visit.

SATURDAY, 3/16

9:00am – 9:30am       CONSEJO PASTORAL DE
403 N. DuPont Street
Wilmington

This is the monthly meeting of COPAD, the statewide group of Latino pastors.

5:00pm – 5:30pm       IMA Agape Banquet
Modern Maturity Center
1121 Forrest Avenue
Dover

This is a gathering of more than ten churches to honor members and their houses of worship for services in their church and community.

SUNDAY, 3/17

10:30am – 12:00pm   Seeds of Greatness Ministries
190 Quigley Boulevard
New Castle
(across from NC Farmers Market)

The Lt. Governor will deliver remarks during the 10:30 service.  There are a few families at Seeds of Greatness who are already involved as foster families.


Delaware Foster Parents to be Recognized for Serving Children

Lt. Governor Denn Will Share His “Faith, Family & Foster Care” Video and Initiative

DOVER, Del. (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) – On Thursday, May 31, Lt. Governor Denn will participate in the Delaware Children’s Department’s annual foster parent conference and recognition banquet.  He will speak at 9:45am followed by the video presentation.

He will join over 300 foster parents, foster care agencies, state child welfare officials, and keynote speaker Mr. Chauncey Strong.

The conference, entitled, Life Changers: Impacting Today for a Better Tomorrow will recognize the work of foster parents who care

for children throughout the state. Foster parents reaching milestones for years of service will be recognized during the event.

This annual event honors those foster families in Delaware who have answered the call to provide safety, stability, a sense of hope and help build the self-esteem of children who have suffered abuse and neglect. The event also provides foster parents the opportunity to earn training credits by attending workshops designed to better understand the needs of children in care and to improve their foster parenting skills to meet these needs.

The Lt. Governor will recognize the outstanding work done by current foster families and also talk about his new initiative, “Faith, Family & Foster Care.” The Lt. Governor will share his locally-produced five minute video featuring foster and adoptive families, and foster care recipients that will be shared all over Delaware.  The video is also available on the Lt. Governor’s website athttp://ltgov.delaware.gov.

There are currently over 400 foster families in Delaware. These families do a good job, and we are very grateful for their efforts, but our current foster families are overwhelmed.  With double the number of children in foster care as we have foster families and with a shortage of foster families, the state cannot choose the ideal setting for each foster child.  To do that, Delaware needs to significantly increase the number of families that provide foster care/become foster parents for Delaware’s children.

Conference runs from 8:30am – 4:00pm
Keynote Address from 9:00am – 9:40am

Lt. Governor Denn presentation 9:45am – 10:00am

Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sheraton Dover Hotel
1570 N. DuPont Highway
Dover