by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Funding that wasn’t used by Family Support Services (FSS) of North Florida this year was used to start a new educational assessment program with the hopes of it becoming a permanent service to foster children.
“Every child that comes in here for the first time will receive this service,” said Jim Adams, CEO of Family Support Services of North Florida. “We do a medical assessment, but this has never been done before.
“We’ve never touched the education side.”
He said Family Support Services was in a position to utilize $17,000 from the general revenue funds to support this two-month program.
Where the child stands educationally is identified within the first 72 hours of entering into foster care. Colleen Carter, project manager at Family Support Services, said the testing is ordered at the shelter hearing. Once that happens, the child has 10 days to take the assessment test.
“This assessment helps us identify the child’s educational needs so we can meet them,” said Adams.
Family Support Services began the program on April 23 and it will conclude June 30. Adams said they will test the first 85 children, but he thinks they will reach 85 before June 30. So far FSS has tested 33 children.
“We work with the parents, children and the school board,” he said. “We work with the children who have challenges in their academics.
“We stabilize them and strengthen their weak areas,” said Adams. “We don’t want to lose where they are at.”
Adams said as an example, a child can be in 8th grade, but when they take the educational assessment test, the results can show that they may be at a 3rd grade reading level, but everything else is where it should be.
The program gives foster parents a tool to help them try to arrange schooling for their child. It also helps the school districts place the child in the proper grade level and assist them with any educational needs.
“Most importantly it helps the children achieve their goals,” said Adams.
Even though they only have enough funds to help 85 foster children, Adams hopes that one day they can have this educational assessment program as a permanent service.
“I would love to be able to expand it,” he said. “It (this program) is needed. Just like a medical assessment is needed.”
It costs $200 per child to do the testing. In September they will follow up with all 85 children to see how they have performed in school since the assessment.
Adams said most of the children they have been testing are in their teens. Family Support Services is using a private education company, Education Services of America to do the testing.
In Duval County there are about 3,000 children living in out of home care. Most children are within the ages of 0-5, but they range from 0-17 years of age. Adams said 400 of those 3,000 are waiting to be adopted and 32 new children enter foster care each week.