(August 9, 2007) SEATTLE – The first day of school is often filled with many emotions, from pure excitement to nervous jitters, new classes, new friends, and the self-consciousness that comes with being a kid.

These feelings can be experience by children who have a sense of belonging and familiarity, but for children who become a part of the foster care system due to abuse or neglect, nervous “jitters” doesn’t begin to describe how scary going back to school can be.

For many foster children, the first day means that they once again have to start over – making new friends, and trying to gain a sense of stability in their often unstable lives. While the first day of school starts in the fall for most children, for children in foster care they could experience the first day of school five or six times in one school year because they may be placed in several homes throughout the year in different parts of a city or state,

Going back to school is a pivotal time for a foster youth, and it’s just one of the many times they need someone in their corner, helping them navigate what could be considered an uncertain and scary experience. Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers, also known as CASA volunteers or volunteer Guardians ad Litem in some states, can be that one familiar factor for many foster children. CASA volunteers are everyday people who are appointed by judges in cases involving abused and neglected children taken from homes and placed in foster care. The volunteers’ duties are many, but the primary goal is to be an advocate for the child in court and a watchdog for the child while in he or she is in foster care. It’s an important role, because in a system overloaded with cases, the CASA volunteer can often be the only person focused solely on the welfare of the child.

Some 58,000 CASA volunteers represent 220,000 children nationwide, many of them going to a new school and also facing the prospect of changing schools during the year. It’s a daunting task but a very important one, particularly considering government numbers showing that only 60 percent of children who change schools four times before eighth grade eventually graduate high school.

How can volunteers help make the transition back to school easier for foster youth?
•Volunteers can spend time simply talking to the children in their care, listening to their concerns and fears. The children CASA volunteers help receive so little support in their lives that this is especially important.
•Advocates also can help the children establish and practice a back-to-school routine. For children used to instability, establishing a routine can be difficult at first, but often becomes comforting.


•Advocates also prepare children for the potential they will become the target of bullies. Sometimes being a foster child or an adopted child can bring a lot of unwanted attention from some bullies who may ask hard questions that may be difficult for the children to answer. Advocates can recommend a school change if needed for the child’s safety.
•Advocates can ensure school records follow the youth so he or she doesn’t have to take classes and standardized tests over again and can remain at the proper grade level.

Their efforts do make a difference. In a 2005 national survey of family court judges, nearly every judge questioned said CASA volunteers made a positive difference in the lives of foster children. The same survey also found that 94 percent of the judges said more volunteers are needed, and that means we need you!

CASA urges each adult who is involved with a foster child to do everything in his or her power to make school a point of stability in an otherwise unstable life. The point is that binding ourselves to the best interest of the child, including school stability, can help break the cycle that necessitates foster care in the first place. A stable school life is vitally important to these kids – and society.

To learn more about CASA or how you can make a difference in a child’s life, contact a CASA program in your community. Call 1-888-805-8457 for more information or visit the National CASA Association online at www.nationalcasa.org.