Region 7 Educational Stability for Children and Youth in Foster Care

Getting Started & POC Responsibilities

Region 7 Foster Care Point of Contact Handbook

The primary Region 7 reference for Foster Care Points of Contact, covering educational stability, Best Interest Determinations, enrollment, transportation, student supports, collaboration with child welfare agencies, legal requirements, specialized topics, and practical Region 7 tools. 

Foster Care POC Roles & Responsibilities
A practical overview of the responsibilities of the school district Foster Care Point of Contact, including coordination, school stability, enrollment, transportation, communication, and student support.

New Foster Care POC: First 30 Days
A step-by-step starting guide for newly appointed Foster Care Points of Contact, including key contacts, procedures, resources, and priorities for the first month.

Foster Care POC Annual Planning Calendar
A year-round planning tool highlighting important activities, reviews, communication, training, and responsibilities throughout the school year.

Quick Guide for Administrators

Document discussing the expectations of district administration as related to foster care legislation and staff responsibilities.

Foster Care Annual Program Review
A self-review tool to help LEAs evaluate their foster care procedures, identify areas for improvement, and maintain effective educational stability practices.

Foster Care Staff Training Planner

A practical planning tool to help LEAs organize foster care staff training, identify key topics, plan training activities, and ensure staff understand their responsibilities for supporting students in foster care.

What Do I Do If?  

Region 7 case-desk quick reference for common school situations.

Enrollment, Records & Transportation

Immediate Enrollment & Records Transfer Checklist
A practical checklist for immediately enrolling a student in foster care after a school change and promptly obtaining and transferring educational records.

School Transfer & Records Quick Guide
Guidance for coordinating a smooth school transition, including records, credits, programs, services, and communication between the sending and receiving schools.

Foster Care Transportation Quick Guide
Explains the responsibilities of schools and child welfare agencies for arranging prompt school-of-origin transportation when remaining in the school of origin is determined to be in the student's best interest.

Transportation Options for Students in Foster Care   

A practical quick guide for schools and child welfare partners when transportation to the school of origin is not readily available. Provides options for coordinating transportation among school districts, Children & Youth, foster families, transportation providers, and Intermediate Units, including shared routes, transfer points, reimbursement, contracted transportation, and combined solutions.

Laws, Guidance & Specialized Topics

Foster Care ESSA Law Quick Guide
A Region 7 overview of the federal ESSA requirements for students in foster care, including school stability, Best Interest Determinations, immediate enrollment, transportation, and LEA responsibilities.

Dear Colleague Letter New Foster Guidance (PDE & DHS)  This letter introduces Pennsylvania’s plans to implement updated guidance. 

New Foster Guidance (2024) & FAQ  On November 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued updated Joint Non-Regulatory Guidance on ensuring educational stability for children and youth in foster care. 

Educator's Guide for Students in Foster Placement  Discusses providing essential support for students in foster care, who my struggle academically due to high mobility and instability.  

What is Child Welfare?  (For Educators) This factsheet is geared toward educators and provides an overview of child welfare and describes how educators and child welfare workers can collaborate to prevent child abuse and neglect and ensure children involved in child welfare receive the services and supports they need to succeed in school.  

Act 1 & Students in Foster Care
Explains how Pennsylvania Act 1 protects students experiencing educational instability due to foster care, including credit transfer, graduation planning, access to coursework, and extracurricular participation.

Special Education & Section 504 – Students in Foster Care
Guidance for coordinating foster care school-stability decisions with IDEA and Section 504 requirements, including IEPs, accommodations, educational decision-makers, and school changes.

Privacy & FERPA – Students in Foster Care
A quick reference on protecting student information while allowing appropriate educational-record sharing among schools, child welfare agencies, caseworkers, caregivers, and other authorized individuals.

Foster Care or McKinney-Vento? Quick Reference
Helps school staff distinguish between foster care protections under ESSA and eligibility under the McKinney-Vento Act when a student's living situation or custody status is unclear.

PIMS Reporting Quick Reference – Foster Care
A reference for Foster Care Points of Contact on Pennsylvania reporting considerations for students in foster care and the importance of accurate identification and data.

Child Accounting Resource Guide – Foster Care
Explains child accounting and residency considerations that may intersect with foster care while keeping those issues separate from school stability, immediate enrollment, BID, and transportation decisions.

Postsecondary Transition Quick Reference – Foster Care
Highlights postsecondary planning and supports for students in or formerly in foster care, including financial aid, tuition assistance, transition planning, and connections to available programs.

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 — Established major federal educational-stability requirements on the child-welfare side.

Uninterrupted Scholars Act of 2013 — Amended FERPA to make appropriate education-record sharing with child-welfare agencies easier.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 — Put the foster-care educational-stability requirements directly into federal education law, including school of origin, BID, immediate enrollment, transportation coordination, and LEA points of contact.