Foster Care

FDOE Foster Care Contacts

The FDOE points of contact for foster care are Jennifer Kruis, Assistant Bureau Chief, Bureau of Federal Educational Programs, and Beverley Wilks, School Social Work Consultant, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services.

District Foster Care Contacts

District Foster Care Contacts (PDF)

State and Federal Memorandums

DPS 2024-40 - Section 39.4023, Florida Statutes, Placement and education transitions; transition plans (PDF)
Information Memorandum - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (PDF)

State and Federal Statutes

Section 409.1452, F.S., Collaboration with State University System, Florida College System, and Department of Education to assist children and young adults who have been or are in foster care or are experiencing homelessness; documentation regarding eligibility for tuition and fee exemptions.
Section 39.0016, F.S., Education of abused, neglected, and abandoned children; agency agreements; children having or suspected of having a disability.

Foster Care Guidance

Bureau of Federal Educational Programs Foster Care Guidance (PDF)
Federal Update: Summary of New Federal Joint Guidance to Support Students in Foster Care
- New Comprehensive Summary of the 2024 Joint Federal Guidance
  On November 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new Non-Regulatory Guidance: Ensuring Educational Stability and Success for Students in Foster Care. This guidance updates previous joint guidance from 2016. It provides critical new information about how federal laws support students in foster care, including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (Fostering Connections). The guidance covers a range of topics, including school stability (A-H), academic success (I-K), special populations (L-Q), funding (R-V) and data collection (W-Z).
- New 2-Page Summary of Highlights from the 2024 Joint Federal Guidance
  The link above provides a summary of highlights from the 2024 Joint Federal Guidance.
  The summary
  - prioritizes and strengthens continued quality implementation of school stability provisions 9 years after ESSA;
  - expands on what is needed for school stability and success by adding new focus on academic success;
  - addresses intersectional identities by focusing on special student populations who are also in foster care; and
  - emphasizes new key considerations of funding and data collection that are critical to student success.

Interagency Collaboration to Ensure Educational Stability for Students in Foster Care

The PowerPoint presentation linked below describes the importance of interagency collaboration in implementing Title I, Part A educational stability provisions for students in foster care. It will identify strategies for effective interagency collaboration to address the needs of students in foster care.

Interagency Collaboration to Ensure Educational Stability for Students in Foster Care (PDF)