| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2393 | |||||||||
| Educational Support for Foster Care Kids | |||||||||
| Requester: | Jim Adams, CEO | Organization: | Family Support Services of North Florida, Inc. | ||||||
| Project Title: | Educational Support for Foster Care Kids | Date Submitted | 1/4/2008 11:42:58 AM | ||||||
| Sponsors: | Bean | ||||||||
| Statewide Interest: | |||||||||
| This project is being requested to address a local community need in Duval County. Duval County currently has a graduation rate of 60.5% which is a major community issue that needs to be addressed. Research shows that children who do not graduate are more likely to be unemployed, homeless and suffer from a lack of poor self-esteem, which can eventually lead to hopelessness and illegal activity. This problem not only affects Duval County, but the State of Florida as a whole as it pays for the incarceration and unemployment of these adults. | |||||||||
| Recipient: | Family Support Services of North Florida, Inc. | Contact: | Jim Adams | ||||||
| 4057 Carmichael Avenue, Suite 101 | Contact Phone: | (904) 421-5824 | |||||||
| Jacksonville 32207 | Contact email: | jim.adams@fssnf.org | |||||||
| Counties: | Duval | ||||||||
| Gov't Entity: | Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): | Yes | |||||||
| Project Description: | |||||||||
| FSSNF received a Community Budget Issue Request (CBIR) in 2007. The CBIR allowed a Community Advisory Panel to be formed and the hiring of an educational specialist who concentrates on the needs of foster children in Duval County. The panel determined that 47.7% of the school aged children in out-of home care (1,010) has been retained at least once. The panel has tracked and monitored 78 students age 6-12 years old who have failed academically or through FCAT scores. Increased funding is being requested to expand the program to an additional 100 students ages 6-12, selected by the panel who have failed academically or through FCAT scores to receive evaluations and/or services such as tutoring and assessments. FSSNF is requesting funds to continue the work of the Community Advisory panel and the educational specialist. Funding is also being requested to hire a dedicated behavioral specialist and an experienced school psychologist who will ensure that each child’s needs are being met and that schools are given informed guidance on how to deal with behaviors that manifest themselves in children from environments of abuse and neglect. It will reduce frustrations of school personnel, case workers and foster parents who have to deal with repeated suspensions due to inappropriate behavior and will insure prompt attention to education needs that are often overlooked. The project proposes: 1. A foster care school psychologist at $100,000 including benefits. The dedicated psychologist will be available to work with the total population of out-of home care, including the 78 identified children from 2006-2007 funds and the additional 100 children identified with the 2007-2008 funding. The psychologist will work with our children in their school and home environment to ensure a continuation of services eliminating the problem of new personnel evaluating a child if they change schools. This will expedite testing needed to qualify a foster child for the exceptional student program. 2. A foster care behavioral specialist at $60,000 including benefits. The dedicated behavioral specialist will be available to serve the total population of out-of-home care, including the 78 identified children from 2006-2007 funds and the additional 100 children identified with the 2007-2008 funding. The behavior specialist will have the expertise to address severe behavior problems that manifest themselves in children from environments of abuse and neglect. The position will give schools a contact person to put in place both at school and home modifications to successfully manage the child’s inappropriate behavior. 3. Educational Specialist and data entry support at $45,000 including benefits. The specialist and a part-time data entry support will continue to support and serve as liaison between Community Advisory Panel, Judicial system, CBC, DCPS and FSS for administrative services to ensure weekly data sharing, evaluation, and tracking of interventions and services provided. 4. Educational Assessments at $45,000 to ensure that cases determined by the advisory panel in need of private educational psychological testing can be expedited to determine educational needs for a child who is failing. 5. Tutoring Services at $100,000 to provide extra help that may be needed to help strengthen a weakness as determined by the psychological testing, FCAT scores and/or academic records to insure that the child will be successful both in his/her academic program at school and on required standardized testing. | |||||||||
| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? | No | ||||||||
| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: | |||||||||
| 1. 78 children who have academically failed or have failed FCAT testing have already been identified and reviewed by the Advisory Panel during the first year of the pilot program. These children will continue to be tracked and provided academic services to include assessments, tutoring and evaluations. Each will have at least 1 letter grade improvement in a weak subject 2. 100 additional children who have academically failed or have failed FCAT testing will be identified, reviewed by the Advisory Panel and referred for assessments, tutoring and evaluations. 3. Interventions with a dedicated school psychologist and behavior specialist will increase written behavioral plans by 25% for the identified children and discipline referrals will decrease by 25%. 4. Interventions with a dedicated school psychologist and behavioral specialist will decrease suspensions by 25% for the identified children. | |||||||||
| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: | $350,000 | ||||||||
| Total cost of the project: | $350,000 | ||||||||
| Request has been made to fund: | Operations | ||||||||
| What type of match exists for this project? | None | ||||||||
| Cash Amount | $ | ||||||||
| Was this project previously funded by the state? | Yes | Fiscal Year: | 2006-2007 | Amount: | $100,000 | ||||
| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? | Yes | Amount: | $350,000 | To Fund: | Operations | ||||
| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? | No | ||||||||
| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? | Unknown | ||||||||
| Is there a documented need for this project? | Yes | ||||||||
| Documentation: | Education Advisory Panel for Family Support Services testing results 2007 see addendum. | ||||||||
| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? | Yes | ||||||||
| Hearing Body: | Duval and Nassau County Legislative Delegation Hearings | ||||||||
| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? | No | ||||||||