Foster Care

The foster care provisions of Title I, Part A of the ESEA emphasize the importance of collaboration and joint decision-making between child welfare agencies and educational agencies. While these provisions do not create new requirements for child welfare agencies, they mirror and enhance similar provisions in the Fostering Connections Act. Considered together, these laws make clear that the educational stability of children in foster care is a joint responsibility of educational and child welfare agencies, and to successfully implement these provisions, these entities will need to collaborate continuously. As previously mentioned, partnerships are already well underway between child welfare and educational agencies in many States and localities. We hope that this guidance is a useful tool that helps SEAs, LEAs, and child welfare agencies to build on this success. Finally, we encourage educational and child welfare agencies, as they work together to ensure educational stability for foster youth and implement these new provisions, to consider other ways to support better outcomes for these students, including by providing supports to youth to facilitate a successful transition from the elementary and secondary education to college and careers. (US Dept of Education and US Dept of Health and Human Services Non-Regulatory Guidance: Ensuring Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care)

Federal Foster Care Guidance

• Non-Regulatory Guidance (11/24)
• Dear Colleague Letters: Letter 1 || Letter 2
• Developing Transportation Procedures for Students in Foster Care under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (04/16)
• Foster Care & Education Q&A: The Uninterrupted Scholars Act

Assurances for LEAs

Each local educational agency will collaborate with State or local child welfare agency to:

• Designate a point of contact a point (ESEA Section 1112(c)(5)(A)). Make public the foster care point of contact and the point of contact’s contact information so that child welfare agencies can easily reach them.
• Collaborate with State or local child welfare to develop and implement clear written procedures governing how transportation will be provided, arranged, and funded (ESEA Section 1112(c)(5)(B)). These transportation procedures shall ensure that:
  • Children in foster care needing transportation to the school of origin will promptly receive transportation in a cost-effective manner and in accordance with section 475(4)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 675(4)(A)); and
  • If there are additional costs incurred in providing transportation to maintain children in foster care in their schools of origin, the local educational agency will provide transportation to the school of origin if—
    • The local child welfare agency agrees to reimburse the local educational agency for the cost of such transportation;
    • The local educational agency agrees to pay for the cost of such transportation; or
    • The local educational agency and the local child welfare agency agree to share the cost of such transportation.

Foster Care Information Resources

• Foster Care Tiered Monitoring Training Webinar
• LEA Foster Care Webinar Q&A
• Foster Care Presentation 2023
• Missouri Foster Care Checklist and Flowchart
• Missouri Reach Information
• Educational and Training Voucher Program
• ACT Fee Waiver

Foster Care Forms and Templates

• Best Interest Determination Placement Form
• Dispute Resolution Procedures
• Transportation Guidance Sample Template
• Financial Memorandum of Understanding between Missouri DSS and LEA
• Individual Student Transportation Plan
• Blank DSS Notification Letter of Student Placement Change

Contact Information

• School District Foster Care Liaisons (4/16/25)
• Children’s Division County Office Circuit Managers
• DESE Foster Care ListServ
• Michael James, DESE State Foster Care Point of Contact- 573-526-4365
• Desiree Gardner, Children’s Division Point of Contact - 573-253-9058