School for foster kids launched in Philly
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
By: Elizabeth Fiedler
efiedler@whyy.org
Philadelphia now offers a school option no other place in the country does, a charter school designed to serve children in foster care. School officials say a more structured, supportive education environment will help teens who often face challenges adjusting to new schools and new classmates when they change homes. Wednesday school officials, supporters, and students gathered at Arise Academy Charter High School for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
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Some girls show off new hairstyles, and up front some very attentive students line the seats.
The big difference between these students and others becomes clear when the school's board president, Jill Welsh Davis, asks how many schools they've been to. When she counts to 6, kids still have their hands up.
Davis: 75.2% of kids in foster care have dropped out of high school. Everybody here has been hand picked based on their passion and their feeling about these kids, and there will be behavioral health supports. Many of our teachers have been in foster care or they've had members of families that have been in foster care.
One sophomore says students at his first school gave him a hard time when they found out he was in foster care. He says the similar family situations at the school put him more at ease.
I applaud the founders for recognizing this opportunity that has been needed for many many decades. It is a great idea for Foster Children to have the opportunity to share with children they can identify with. Foster Children's have been dirupted on man occassions. I wish I I had this opportunity when I grew up in the Foster Care System. I know the odds are stacked against us, but there will always be success stories to share. I am not a statistic of the Foster Care System. I would love to share and provide motivational speaking to these young delicate.