We recognize and celebrate Our People: Our Strength by highlighting a specific #TeamJeffco team or department each month! Our goal is to celebrate the great work they do and showcase how they contribute to the overall success of Jeffco Public Schools.
May 2023 SPOTLIGHT:
Fostering Opportunities
What is the name of your team? What division is your team a part of?
We are the Fostering Opportunities team within the Student Engagement office and part of the Division of Family, School, and Community Partnerships.
How many employees are on your team?
We have 5 members on our team; one coordinator and four specialists.
A Day in the Life - What types of projects does your team do daily?
Our team is visiting schools every day, working directly with students and members of their educational and child welfare teams.
Our number one goal is to put our mission statement into action and ensure every child welfare involved student has equitable access to an education that is aligned to their needs, and as close to "typical" as possible (we don't want child welfare involvement to interfere with a normal high school experience).
Other ways we provide support:
- Help students navigate educational and personal challenges.
- Support students and families in accessing community resources.
- Help students learn to leverage social capital, set goals, and self-advocate.
What is your favorite team quote or mission?
Our mission statement is to improve the educational experience and academic outcomes of students who have experienced child welfare involvement.
What fun team hobby/outing does your team participate in?
We have a couple of team traditions including:
- Our yearly Buddy Boost SprinkleFest: A time when we randomly and anonymously assign a teammate to secretly "sprinkle" another teammate with treats and notes throughout the month, culminating with a team lunch and teammate reveal.
- Another tradition is supporting The Action Center with their yearly school supply distribution. Our team spends time packing backpacks, and then helps distribute them to families. It is a fun way to partner with one of our county's greatest assets while also supporting the Jeffco community.
- A team tradition we do weekly includes opening our team meetings with a connection question, followed by gratitude and celebration. We celebrate our students, our partners, each other, and ourselves. Beginning meetings with this sets the tone to have asset-based conversations about the work we do.
Share something you are most proud of when it comes to your team or share a proud moment about your team that happened recently.
The Fostering Opportunities program was designed and implemented right here in the Jeffco Public Schools Student Engagement Office. The Fostering Opportunities program is the only proven practice for improving educational outcomes specifically for foster care youth in Colorado. Our program evaluation revealed the following positive educational outcomes for students in foster care:
- 26.47% improvement in the percentage of students who were on track to graduate from high school;
- Statistically significant gains in attendance rates within one year of providing access to the program;
- Statistically significant decrease in number of suspension incidents within one year of providing access to the program.
Additionally, we are proud of the Foster Care Success Act (HB22-1374) which resources ongoing funding for our Jeffco program but also extends the opportunity to 3-5 other school districts in Colorado to implement the Fostering Opportunities program.
What is your big term goal or project this year?
We are excited to open our program to referrals and support for all students grades PK-12 in out-of-home placement. We have been working at the middle and high school levels for the past five school years and are excited to expand our impact.
