Program Mission

The mission of the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program is to provide quality education and support opportunities to caregivers of children and youth in out-of-home care so that these providers may meet the educational, emotional, behavioral and developmental needs of children and youth in the foster care system.

The Role of the Program

In 1984, legislation (Senate Bill 2003, Royce) was passed to create the Foster Children and Parent Training Fund for the training of foster parents. The Chancellor's Office has responsibiility for overseeing and allocating the funds to the colleges statewide.

The Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges has taken a lead role in expanding the delivery of high quality foster and kinship care education throughout the state. The Chancellor's Office and a system of local community colleges implement the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program each year, in collaboration with the California Department of Social Services, a State Advisory Committee, local departments of social services, as well as foster parent and kinship care provider associations.

The Foster and Kinship Care Education Program sub-unit in the Chancellor's Office is a part of the Student Services and Special Programs Division. The FKCE Unit is currently comprised of four staff members who work under the guidance of the division vice chancellor and the unit dean.