Shar Herrera: Foster kids need your help just getting through school

Back-to-school is an exciting time for students as they anticipate seeing friends and beginning a new year. However, for children in foster care, who often change schools multiple times, there is little excitement to be had when you don’t know if you’ll be in the same school next week, next month or next year. It is estimated that by the time a foster child ages out of the system at 18, over one third will have changed schools five or more times. This likely contributes to a disheartening statistic: only half of those in foster care complete high school by age 18.

Thankfully, there are everyday citizens in our community who are helping keep foster children in the same school longer and secure the educational resources the children need to make academic progress. Court Appointed Special Advocates are volunteers who interact with the adults in the child’s life – teachers, counselors, foster parents and professional case workers – to make recommendations to juvenile court judges that are in the child’s best interests.

This school year, CASA of Merced County is asking local residents to come forward and become CASA volunteers. Help a foster child reach his or her potential. Make a difference!

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Shar Herrera: Foster kids need your help just getting through school."