- UFC Education Program Students
- 100% of College Readiness students in our program 4+ years graduated from high school
- 70%of College Sponsorship students, on average, graduate from college
- General Population of Foster Youth
- 37% of foster youth do not graduate from high school
- 13% of foster youth attend college and 2-4% graduate
Education Program growth and expansion continued during the 2010-2011 year. New community hub sites were opened to bring College Readiness services directly to students where they live. Enhanced programming resulted in another successful year of the majority of students graduating from high school, and many of them continuing on to four-year universities. Recognizing the challenges many of our youth in their first-year of college face, UFC staff deepened their connection to students, providing them with additional support to help them stay on track while in school.
> Over 350 foster youth received services and support to help them graduate from high school, attend college and earn their degree through UFC’s College Readiness and College Sponsorship Programs.
2010-2011 Education Program Highlights
Second Class of College Readiness Students Graduate
100% of our second class of College Readiness students in our program four years or more graduated from high school and 56% were eligible to attend four-year universities.
> UFC College Counselors provided over 5,600 hours of services to students in the College Readiness Program and program participants received over 650 hours of professional tutoring services.
Two new Community Sites Opened
In addition to our hub sites at Paramount High School and Samuel Gompers Middle School, UFC opened sites this year at Robert Peary Middle School and the Locke Family of High Schools. UFC will continue to open our College Readiness Community Hub Sites on school campuses or community centers in regions with high populations of youth in foster care. However, in addition to students of the host school, the hub sites will serve as UFC’s Readiness regional center, reaching foster youth in the local community who may attend other schools.
> Nearly 200 College Readiness students were provided with academic planning, tutoring, college tours, enrichment activities and events, resulting in a 17% increase in students served.
Sponsorship Checkpoints System Introduced
Our new quarterly checkpoints system helps to maintain greater points of contact with youth and was introduced for all students in an effort to create learning opportunities and provide timely support.
> Nearly 165 youth were served in the College Sponsorship Program. Students received over 700 hours of mentoring and supportive services from UFC College Counselors.
Students Participate in Overnight College Tours
Students from our College Readiness Program benefitted from two college tours in Northern and Central California. They visited CSU Bakersfield, UC Merced and CSU Stanislaus in Central California as well as Holy Names University, CSU Easy Bay, University of San Francisco and UC Berkeley in Northern California and were able to stay on campus to get the real college experience. Students returned excited to continue on the path towards college with hopes to apply to at least one of the schools they toured.
> 35 college tours, workshops, college fairs, events and enrichment activities were provided to College Readiness students.
Summer Internships Broaden Career Opportunities
College Sponsorship students took advantage of UFC’s Summer Internship Program, which provides paid internship opportunities in various fields for students to gain valuable work experience related to their future careers. Internship placements included: Warner Bros., Green Dot Public Schools, the East LA Health Clinic, the Los Angeles County Probation Dept., Public Counsel, and the Culver City Chamber of Commerce.
