Financial Aid For Foster Care Students - A Review

Transcription

1 COLLEGE FU DI G FOR COLLEGE BOU D FOSTER CARE STUDE TS A foster care student may be eligible to have four years of college or technical school plus housing paid for in full without having to worry about loans. To do this, a student needs to know what organizations to contact and forms to fill out. The following document is to help adults that work with the foster care student population help these students get the financial help that is available to them. I have listed the different types of grants and scholarships that the student is eligible for and then following is a list of instructions on how to apply for these grants and scholarships. 1) Governor s Scholarship The Governors Scholarship was established in 2001 by former Governor Gary Locke who remains a key supporter. Scholarship award amounts range from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the college of attendance. Scholarships can be used up to 5 years until completion of the student s program of study. Students must be enrolled full-time and maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to renew the scholarship each year. Unlike most of the other grants and scholarships that aren t due until January, the paperwork for this scholarship must be turned in by November 10 of the student s senior year. 2) Financial Aid (fafsa) Federal student aid is financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Education that is available if the student is enrolled in an eligible program at a school participating in the federal program. Eligibility for federal student aid programs are based on financial need and other factors. Eligibility is determined by the information provided on the FAFSA. The funds from this grant are federal. In 2009 the average amount per quarter was $1783. The application for this grant needs to be filled out in January and preferably no later than the middle of February. The application deadline is June 30 but it puts the notification for the award closer to the time school starts which makes it harder to plan. Types of financial aid: Federal Pell Grant: Are direct grants awarded through participating institutions to students with financial need who have not received their first bachelor s degree. Grant amounts are dependent on the students expected family contribution (EFC) and the cost of attendance which is determined by the institution the student is attending, the student s enrollment status whether they are attending part-time or full-time and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG): Is for undergraduates with exceptional financial need. Priority is given to Federal Pell Grant recipients. Funding is determined by the school. Federal Work Study (FWS): The FWS Program provides funds that are earned through part time employment to assist student in financing the cost of post secondary education. Financial aid administrators determine the amount of FWS awards to provide to students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment. Hourly wages must not be less than the federal minimum wage. Federal Perkins Loan: Provides low-interest loans to help needy students finance the cost of post secondary education. Interest charged on this loan is 5% for both undergraduate and graduate students and payment is owed to the school that made the loan. Page 1

2 Subsidized Direct or FFEL Stafford Loan: The U.S. Department of Education pays interest while the borrower is in school and during the grace and deferment periods. To be eligible for this loan students must be enrolled at least half time and have financial need. Unsubsidized Direct or FFEL Stafford Loan: The borrower is responsible for interest during life of the loan. The student must be enrolled at least half time or more and financial need is not a requirement. 3) Washington State Aid: Washington State Aid is administered by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB). State eed Grant (S G): The SNG program helps the state s lowest income undergraduate students pursue degrees, refine skills, and retrain for new careers. Maximum grant amounts per academic year and by type of college the student is attending can be found by going to: State Work Study (SWS): Through part-time work students can earn money for college while gaining experience in jobs related to their academic or career goals. The SWS program provides students with an alternative to high levels of borrowing. SWS wages must be comparable to what a regular employee would receive for performing the same job duties, and has to meet the state s minimum wage or be higher. These direct grants are awarded through participating institutions to students with financial need who have not received their first bachelor s degree. Grant amounts are dependent on the students expected family contribution (EFC) and the cost of attendance which is determined by the institution the student is attending, the student s enrollment status whether they are attending part-time or full-time and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less. The funds for this are part of the fafsa grant. The same application is used. In 2009 the average amount per quarter was $897. 4) Passport to College Promise Program The purpose of the Passport for Foster Youth Promise Program is to encourage current and former foster care youth to prepare for, attend and successfully complete higher education. The program includes recommendations on providing these students with educational planning information, support on campus, and direct financial resources. Eligible students are defined as those who emancipated from foster care on or after January 1, 2007, after having spent a least one year in foster care subsequent to the youth s 16 th birthday. Students must enroll by age 21. Eligibility is for up to five years after the student first enrolls, or until the student turns 26. The maximum need-based scholarship amount is currently $6,793 per year starting in the fall of ) Education & Training Voucher (ETV) ETV offers financial help to current and former foster youth to attend colleges, universities, vocational or technical programs. The ETV program has up to $5,000 in funds available to eligible students for four years. The total ETV award cannot exceed the cost of attendance, so not every student will receive a full $5,000. ETV awards can help fund tuition, fees, books, housing, transportation and other school-related costs. (6) Independent Living Skills Program (ILS) The ILS program has two components (1) case management provided by the YWCA of Clark County and (2) funding component provided by the social worker and/or /YWCA. Page 2

3 Case Management Component This program is a subsidiary of the YWCA in Clark County. Foster youth and Alumni from care between the ages of 15 and 21 are eligible for this program which works with each individual youth and their support network to create a transition plan for their exit from care. Advocates work individually with each youth to support them in reaching their goals. Group education and mentoring are also core components of this program. The ILS program focuses on education, employment, housing, self care, money management, and other life skills needed to become successfully independent. Funding Component 7) Independent Living (IL) Program (aka SSPS 3901 funds) The Independent Living Program is for youth ages who are in state or tribal foster care and will likely stay there until they turn 18. The IL program helps youth get ready to live on their own by giving them information about education, employment, housing, interpersonal skills and daily living skills. Youth can get IL services through classes, workshops and through local agencies who work with youth one-on-one. The foster care student has up to $500 (while budgeted state funds last) that can be used for graduation expenses, senior pictures, cap and gowns, or work clothes. This money is applied for through the student s social worker. 8) Transitional Living (TL) Program Foster care alumni between the ages of 18 and up to age 21 are eligible for up to $1500 (while budgeted state funds last) that can help them with expenses related to housing, employment, or education. Examples of the expenses this fund can help with are first month rent, car insurance, car repairs, employment assistance, or a computer. 9) P.A.T.H. (Formerly ACOR Program), a Janus Youth Program The P.A.T.H. program is designed to provide basic financial and case management support to homeless individuals and foster youth age who are ready to live independently but cannot afford the initial move in costs of an apartment. If an individual has a viable income and can pay rent, PATH will assist by covering the rest of their move in costs. Services include: apartment search assistance, 6 months case management support to help participants maintain employment and their new apartment, financial support for apartment move in costs (e.g. first and last months rent, cleaning deposit etc.) and assistance with furnishing the apartment. PATH does not continue to subsidize the rent. I STRUCTIO S 1) Governor s Scholarship The information on this scholarship is at Scroll down the page until you see Governor s Scholarship and click on to learn more about this program. This will bring you to the Governor s Scholarship page. This screen will list the applicant criteria for the scholarship. The biggest criteria besides being a foster care student is they have had to live in Washington for 3 years and have at least a 2.0 GPA. Scroll down the page until you see Governor s Scholarship Application right under Important Dates. This application is time consuming so when you present it to the student, know that the student has to be motivated to take the many different steps required to do this. It requires essay questions and letters of recommendations. Once the application is filled out and all the additional information required is collected the packet needs to be mailed and received by November 10, However, there is a strong chance your student will get this scholarship. Last year they gave our 46 scholarships to foster care students in the state. Page 3

4 There is a place on the application to check that you are interested in ETV (5) and Passport (4) grants and feel free to make those selections. The program manager said they would forward the application on. However, ETV and Passport said they would rather have their own application filled out so make sure you do the additional application (explained later) for ETV and Passport. The contact person for this scholarship is Abigail Taitano at Her is ataitano@collegesuccessfoundation.org. If you have any questions while filling out the application she will be able to answer them for you. 2) Financial Aid (fafsa) For federal aid, submit the online application as early as possible, but no earlier than January 1. The application must be received no later than June 30. The college or technical school must have the correct, complete information by the student s last day of enrollment of their senior year. Go to fafsa.ed.gov. The first thing that needs done is to sign up for a pin number. Click on that section and follow the directions. The pin number can be ed immediately to the provided. Once you have the pin number then start filling out the application. STEP 1 This entire section needs filled out by the student. STEP 2 On question 33 if the student hasn t done a tax return then have the student either look at their W-2 they received from their employer (sometimes this doesn t go out until February) or look at the last pay check they received in 2009 and give the total income for the year from this document. Make sure that 0 is marked for every question that doesn t pertain financially to the student. Question 46 and 47 all will be 0 for foster care students STEP 3 Question 54 and 55 unless they have a child of their own this is a no. Question 55 needs to be yes. They are wards of the court. All foster care children are wards of the court. Question 57 tricks some people while filling this out. If they have a social worker they are not in a legal guardianship. Legal guardianship takes the student out of the foster care system. STEP 4 is ignored. A foster care student does not have to fill out anything in this section so leave it blank. STEP 5 Question 96 regardless of how many people are in the household chose 1 unless the student has a child. Question 97 is also a 1. Once the online form has been submitted an will be sent to the student in a day or two with a SAR report. This report needs to be printed and saved. Review the report to make sure all the answers are correct. Two weeks after you receive the SAR report the student needs to notify the colleges they selected and talk with the financial aid office. Some colleges have additional forms that need filled out. Page 4

5 CLARK COLLEGE If the student is going to Clark College then they need to go to On the left hand side of the screen click on Admissions & Financial Aid. On the next screen click on financial aid on the left of the screen. The below screen is what you will see. Select Financial Aid Data Sheet (which will be changed closer to next year s enrollment time) and print this form. Also click on Federal Verification Worksheet and print this form if the student had a job last year. These two forms need filled out and taken to the financial aid office in Gaiser Hall. Along with these forms the student needs a Verification of Ward of the State letter filled out by the social worker and a copy of their tax return, the W-2, or the last paycheck stub. You can get the Verification of Ward of State letter by going to and following the directions for ETV (4). The form is part of this packet. The sooner the student gets this turned in the faster they will get their financial needs award letter. Clark College has also set up a special division for foster care students. When the student goes to financial aid they will see a counter with a sign that states Special right inside the door. Sign in on the sign-in sheet and give these forms to the person that comes to greet you. The head of this division is Roberta Roche. If you have any questions or concerns her phone number is and her is rroche@clark.edu. Clark also has special advisors for the foster care students. A month before it is time for the student to enroll in classes have them make an appointment with either Becky Merritt at or Kate Jacky at They will advise the students on the classes to take. Page 5

6 Other colleges may have their own forms so that is why it is important to follow up with each college s financial aid department a few weeks after you file your fafsa. 3) Washington State Aid By filling out the fafsa form it will automatically qualify the student for state aid so nothing additional needs to be done for this. 4) Passport to College Promise Program 5) Education & Training Voucher (ETV) These two programs use the same application. As soon as the fafsa has been completed then this application can be filled out. Go to and click on the financial aid tab. Under Apply for: Select Education & Training Voucher. On the next screen scroll all the way down and select Online Application. Create an account and then select continue. The following screen will appear. Before you select go to the application click on the Print Ward of the Court Verification Letter. This form needs to be signed by the student s social worker. Make several copies of this form once it has been signed. One copy goes with this application and you ll need a copy for financial aid at the college the student chooses. After you make a copy of the ward of state letter than select go to the application. The next screen asks you to select the programs you are applying for. Put a check mark in Education & Training Voucher and Passport to College. Page 6

7 Then select Next. Page 7

8 Follow the directions through each screen. Certify your application by checking all the boxes. On the last page print the application consent form. Page 8

9 Sign the form and then send this form along with the SAR you were ed from fafsa and the completed Ward of the State verification letter to the address ETV provides you online. If you have questions in regards to ETV or call (877) They will help with any questions you may have. If you have questions in regards to Passport or call ) Independent Living Skills Program (ILS) This program focuses on helping youth gain basic life skills, confidence, and information they need to answer some of the many questions they have as they prepare to move out on their own. ILS is a combination of weekly classes and individual education. Each youth in ILS works with an ILS case manager, the family and caseworker to develop an action plan based on the youth's own goals for the future. By working as a team, each young person is given the particular help and guidance needed to reach his or her dreams. They work with children from age 15 to 21. Referrals can be made by DCFS social workers for youth that are dependents of the state; alumni from care can self-refer into the program. If you are working with a homeless student who is not in foster care this group can help them also. To contact this program call YWCA Clark County at and ask to speak to the ILS Coordinator. 7) Independent Living (IL) Program The IL program gives a foster care child from age 15 to 17 years old up to $500 (while budgeted funds last) to help with certain expenses. If the student is active in the ILS program they can request funds through there. They can also contact their social worker to apply for this. If the student gives you permission you can also talk with the social worker. The monies may be used for the student if they need something for their classes like photo paper or they need something for graduation like senior pictures, cap and gowns, or it can be used for clothing they may need for work. If the social worker isn t able to follow through with this and the student isn t active in ILS then call the person that makes the final decision with this fund. Her name is Peggy Lopez and she is in Olympia. Her phone number is and her is lopp300@dshs.wa.gov. Only call Peggy though if you have tried to work with the social worker and haven t gotten any action from that area. 8) Transitional Living (TL) Program The TL program gives a foster care child 18 years old and until 21 years of age up to $1500 (while budgeted funds last) to help with transitional to independent living. College student will not get financial aid monies until the first day of college so this program helps fill in the money gap. If they want to move out on their own before school starts then this fund can give them their first month of rent. It can also be used for car insurance or car repairs. There are several ways the student can apply for this money. If the student is active in the ILS program they can request funds through there. If they still have their social worker than the social worker can apply for them. If neither of these resources is available then you may contact Peggy Lopez in Olympia. Her phone number is and her is lopp300@dshs.wa.gov. Only call Peggy if the other two resources are not available or are not able to help the student. By going through the ILS program or the social worker the funds are available with in a week or so. However, if the student goes directly to Olympia then it takes longer to get any funds. The vendor receiving the funds needs to be set up as a vendor to the state and it will take approximately four to five weeks before the funds are available to the student. 9) P.A.T.H (Formerly ACOR Program), a Janus Youth Program This program works with foster care students but also homeless students. Contact Scott Conger at or him at sconger@janusyouth.org. Scott will help the youth find an apartment, teach them how Page 9

10 to fill out the applications, and help pay for move in fees. This program will not pay for the first month rent. The ideal way to work with this program is to wait until the student gets their financial needs notification award letter (usually a month before college starts) then call Scott. The award letter is used for verification of income. The landlord can call the school s financial aid office that sent out the awards letter for verification of income. TL funds will pay for the first month s rent. The student won t see any money from financial aid until the first day of school. So with PATH and TL they have their first month of housing taken care of and the second month will come from their financial aid package. If a student is going to a four year college and living in the dorms then financial aid will pay directly to the college for the dorm like it does for tuition. PATH belongs to a community warehouse where furniture and household items are donated and students from the PATH program can go to the warehouse with Scott and pick up furniture and household items for their new apartment free. HOW ALL THE FI A CIAL PROGRAMS WORK TOGETHER Students will receive the federal and state money on the first day of classes. If they receive the Governor s Scholarship that money comes next along with any other scholarships the student may have received. Passport money is calculated into the formula after this and then ETV fills in rest of the student s need. A student can only receive the amount equal to what the college says it takes to go to school. For example, Clark College states that it takes $15,822 to pay for tuition, housing, books, and personal needs for three quarter during the college year. This is the maximum money that the student will get from federal, state, scholarships, passport and ETV. The student will receive the first financial awards letter showing just federal and state money. Then the college will recalculate the student s needs and incorporate the scholarships and passport and send out a second awards letter. The financial aid office will then take a third look at the needs for the student and if there is still a need they will calculate in ETV. This will generate a third awards letter. So on the first day of class the student might only get a check for the federal and state money minus tuition and rest of their money will trickle in over the next couple of weeks. When a student moves out on their own they should go to the financial aid office and tell them that they were classified as an independent living at home at the time the financial aid was process and now they are living on their own and can an adjustment be made to their award since their living situation has changed. If the student buys a computer this could also change the award amount. They need to take the computer receipt to financial aid and ask them if this amount can be factored into the award amount so it could be higher. GE ERAL I FORMATIO FOR ADVISORS If your student is going to go to a four year college make sure they have taken their two years of foreign language and have sat for the SAT test. If your student is a Running Start student please meet with them individually and make sure they have all their high school credits and are ready for college. Most community colleges do not need SAT scores or foreign languages but if the student wants to transfer to a four year college they will need both to transfer. Some four year colleges will waive those requirements if the student comes to them with a two year Associate Degree. Page 10

11 CO TACT I FORMATIO FOR QUESTIO S A D SUPPORT I have been working with foster care students for the last two years helping them get the financing for college so I have first hand knowledge of how the system works and who to call for help. If you hit a snag working through this process and the contact people I have listed with each program aren t available or can t help, feel free to give me a call at Diana Shaw or at dseh@pacifier.com.. DISCLAIMER This document is current as of October Programs change, government money runs out, and people in charge of programs leave. This document is to help advisors and students work through the system. Just be aware that anything in this document is subject to change. DATELI E SEPTEMBER OCTOBER Set up SAT exam if applicable The application fee is waived. High School counselors have the information needed to waive this. Start filling out four year college applications and send in The application fee is waived. High School counselors have the information needed to waive this. Have student contact ILS program and have student become active with program (this isn t mandatory but will help the student learn to be independent and give them a support group.) OVEMBER Governor s Scholarship is due November 10 Continue to fill out four year college applications and send in JA UARY Fill out fafsa form on line Make sure you make a copy of the SAR report when it is ed to the student. Fill out community college application and any other college applications Fill out ETV/Passport application FEBRUARY Follow up with financial aid office of school of choice to see if there are any other requirements for financial aid. This is the ideal dateline. Except for the Governor s Scholarship everything else can be completed any time during the student s senior year. Page 11