Cuesta College is currently serving approximately 300 self-identified foster youth. The foster youth on our Campus are one of the student populations that are most disproportionately impacted as related to the five success indicators: access, retention, degree and certificate completion; ESL and basic skills completion; and transfer. One of the huge barriers for this particular population of students is being shuffled between departments and personnel in order to receive services Cuesta College has to offer. The process becomes discouraging and impedes their chances of success.
Children enter the foster care system as a result of neglect or abuse by their biological family. This neglect comes in many forms and often includes physical abuse, …show more content…
Unfortunately, Cuesta’s attempt to meet these needs has spread staff across all of Student Services very thin. This work overload put on staff has actually limited services and assistance provided to foster youth. Student Services departments including: Financial Aid, Admissions and Records; and Counseling have begun designating specific times during the day and week they will offer assistance to foster youth students. The assigned times for assistance for foster youth does allow staff to focus their attention on the specific needs of these students. These designated times have become very restrictive and usually overlap between …show more content…
It is disadvantageous to force students with limited to no availability to transportation to make numerous trips to campus. Foster youth students need more time to address and discuss their needs with staff. They also need the time to understand the services Cuesta College can provide them.
Cuesta College relies on the dedication of its staff to support its foster youth population. The services Cuesta College offers its foster youth population is spread across several departments and buildings on campus. There is very little cross training and sharing of information between Student Service departments. These departments work autonomously from one another and have no real understanding of each other’s process/procedures.
When it comes to serving foster youth students the assumption made by staff are requirements are the same across departments. This is not true and has led to major miscommunication of information to foster youth students. This miscommunication can lead to prolonged financial aid disbursements, priority registration denial, unavailability of counseling appointments, and denied access to DSPS services. Also, when you combined the limited window departments have allotted to serve foster youth with how spread out these departments are across campus, it’s extremely discouraging and frustrating for these students. The shuffle between departments is impeding
Children enter the foster care system as a result of neglect or abuse by their biological family. This neglect comes in many forms and often includes physical abuse, …show more content…
Unfortunately, Cuesta’s attempt to meet these needs has spread staff across all of Student Services very thin. This work overload put on staff has actually limited services and assistance provided to foster youth. Student Services departments including: Financial Aid, Admissions and Records; and Counseling have begun designating specific times during the day and week they will offer assistance to foster youth students. The assigned times for assistance for foster youth does allow staff to focus their attention on the specific needs of these students. These designated times have become very restrictive and usually overlap between …show more content…
It is disadvantageous to force students with limited to no availability to transportation to make numerous trips to campus. Foster youth students need more time to address and discuss their needs with staff. They also need the time to understand the services Cuesta College can provide them.
Cuesta College relies on the dedication of its staff to support its foster youth population. The services Cuesta College offers its foster youth population is spread across several departments and buildings on campus. There is very little cross training and sharing of information between Student Service departments. These departments work autonomously from one another and have no real understanding of each other’s process/procedures.
When it comes to serving foster youth students the assumption made by staff are requirements are the same across departments. This is not true and has led to major miscommunication of information to foster youth students. This miscommunication can lead to prolonged financial aid disbursements, priority registration denial, unavailability of counseling appointments, and denied access to DSPS services. Also, when you combined the limited window departments have allotted to serve foster youth with how spread out these departments are across campus, it’s extremely discouraging and frustrating for these students. The shuffle between departments is impeding