Education
All children – whether in foster care or not – have a right to a free and appropriate public education. As a foster parent, you are a key part of the team that is instrumental in ensuring your children’s education is meeting their needs. Partnering with children’s social workers, teachers, and educational support staff can be daunting – not to mention all the ins and outs of 504’s and IEPs. Browse the resources below, and feel free to contact your DCF Educational Specialist for guidance.
Hub Partner:
Related Resources:
Foster Care and Education
- Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care: A Guide
- Foster Care & Education: Q&A
- Promoting Educational Stability and Success for Youth in Foster Care
- Article: Special Education Decision-Making for Children in Care (Child Law Practice, 2014)
- Special Education & Students in Foster Care: Presentation Slides (2016)
Foster Parents, Youth, and Worker: Roles
- A Foster Parent's Role in Special Ed Decision-Making
- Foster Parents as Special Education Decision-Makers in MA
- A Foster Youth's Role in Special Ed Decision-Making
- A Caseworker's Role in Special Ed Decision-Making
Special Education: General
- A Parent's Guide to Special Education
- How to Resolve Disagreements with Your Child's School
- List of Questions to Ask at IEP Meetings
- Notice of Procedural Safeguards for Parents
- Ten Steps to the Special Education Process in MA
- What is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)?
- Infographic: What is the Difference Between an IEP and a 504?