Cooperating-Agencies-Foster-Youth-Educational-Support-Program-Application-to-Participate_8_31-2015

California Community College Chancellor’s OfficePurpose of Application for Participation for the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program The 2015-16 State budget in

C OOPERATING A GENCIES F OSTER Y OUTH E DUCATIONAL

S UPPORT P ROGRAM

INSTRUCTIONS, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

2015-16 Academic Year

ATP# 15-0026

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MUST BE RECEIVED AT THE

CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE

BY

5 P.M ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015

 Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program 14Scoring Criteria

Guidelines

CALENDAR OF KEY DATES

Application to Participate for the California Community Colleges

Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program August 28, 2015

Last Day to Submit Clarifying Questions September 18, 2015

California Community College Chancellor’s Office

Purpose of Application for Participation for the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program

The 2015-16 State budget includes up to $15,000,000 to fund the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth

Statutes of 2014), (see Appendix C) When enacting this bill, the Legislature found “it is necessary and appropriate to take steps to encourage the enrollment, retention, and transfer of current and former foster youth in California’s community colleges by establishing an education program that provides services that promote their academic success Providing academic support to current and former foster youth in California’s community colleges serves a significant governmental and public interest, namely the reduction in poverty and criminal justice involvement among youth who have been in foster care in California.”

CCC districts are eligible to apply for this funding on behalf of their Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) programs to coordinate and direct the CAFYES funding The allocations provided through this Application to Participate (ATP) process are separate and apart from both existing EOPS funding and funding for the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education program Funded activities shall include, when appropriate, but not necessarily be limited to, outreach and recruitment, service coordination, counseling, book and supply grants, tutoring, independent living and financial literacy skills support, frequent in-person contact, career guidance, transfer counseling, child care and transportation

assistance, referrals to health services, mental health services, housing assistance, unmet need grants and other related services

The primary purpose of this ATP is to provide funding to up to ten CCC districts, creating college CAFYES programs to provide targeted support to current and former foster youth under the umbrella of existing EOPS programs Successful districts will be notified of their first year’s funding in December 2015, with the expectation that colleges will begin implementation in January 2016, ending the year on June 30,

2016 However, it is anticipated that funding will be available on an ongoing basis, barring reductions by the Legislature in a future budget cycle Consequently, applicants are asked to provide a three year implementation strategy in their applications

Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program

Application To Participate HighlightsATP Specification Number: 15-0026

ATP Title: Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program

Program Division: Student Services

Division Vice Chancellor: Denise F Noldon

Program Staff Contacts: Janet Fulton and Kelly Gornik

Initial Funding Period: 2015-16 Academic Year

Funding Source: Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support Program

Total Funding Available: Up to $15,000,000

Required Match: No match required

Eligible Applicants: Districts are eligible to apply on behalf of their college Extended

Opportunity Programs and Services programs Districts may apply

on behalf of multiple of their colleges Only one allocation per district will be awarded; however the allocation can cover multiple colleges within that district

Number of Awards: Ten (10)

Instructions and Specifications

A Introduction

This document contains general instructions, procedures, formats, and timelines for submitting an Application toParticipate (ATP) for the Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support (CAFYES) program to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO)

Applications must be submitted using the format and sequence described in these instructions and must addressthe application specifications

Applicants must articulate plans through 2017-18 in anticipation of continued funding, although the initial award

is solely through 2015-16

B Eligibility

Districts must agree to the following standards and conditions to be eligible to apply:

● Community college districts will be allowed to submit only one application; however, a single applicationmay include multiple colleges within the district

● Selected participants will use funding to support their Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) programs to coordinate and direct services for current and former foster youth in California:

birthday,

or she participates in the program, and

enter the program

C Category for Which Funding is Available

Specification

Number Specification Title

Number of Awards Available

Funds Available Per Award

Initial Term of Funding

2015-16Academic Year

The CCCCO retains sole discretion in awarding these funds Up to $15 million will be disbursed as a new

categorical apportionment for those districts that submit applications and are awarded funds to enhance and strengthen services to the eligible target population The program is funded for 2015-16 and initial awards will

be made for only 2015-16 However, the Chancellor’s Office is asking for budget plans through 2017-18 in anticipation of continued funding

All awards granted through this ATP will be subject to final approval by the CCCCO and the Board of Governors Districts that propose to serve the largest number of foster youth will receive priority for program funds However, other factors will also be considered during the awards process This includes geographic diversity, successful history of serving the target population, quality of program design, the breadth and strength of internal and external partnerships, and plans to leverage other funding, such as Student Equity, other

categorical, district, and external funds The strongest applications will be those that depict sound plans to expand and maximize existing activities and collaborations to serve eligible current and former foster youth TheCCCCO also reserves the right, after district selection, to negotiate requested award amounts, budget items and amounts, and proposed activities to ensure that the overarching goals of the program are met and that

proposed scopes of work are realistic and achievable within the funding period

D Minimum Required Objectives

This goal of this funding is to encourage the enrollment, retention, and transfer of current and former foster youth, as outlined in Ch 771, Stats 2014, by expanding and strengthening the capacity of EOPS programs to support the higher education success of eligible students Its ultimate objective is to ensure more current and former foster youth attending California Community Colleges earn a certificate, degree and/or prepare for transfer to a four-year institution CCCCO expects districts and college EOPS programs to develop

comprehensive and coordinated sets of services and programs that involve internal and external community partnerships, identifying and addressing barriers including health and well-being to the academic success of current and former foster youth To this end, the CCCCO is seeking applications from community college districts

to expand and enhance the capacity of their EOPS programs to serve eligible current and former foster youth through college and community partnerships that will:

1 Identify eligible students at the participating colleges and conduct ongoing review and assessment of their needs and strengths,

are current and former foster youth, as suggested by available data,

other programs, and internal support through other categorical programs, to avoid service duplication and supplanting,

connected to systems that support foster youth,

5 Build and maintain collaborative partnerships with both internal and external partners provide services and supports to CAFYES participants based identified needs, and

6 Evaluate and monitor program services, partnerships, and program and student outcomes, to inform any necessary program redesign, and ensure participants are completing key benchmarks associated with long-term academic success (e.g., course completion, term-to-term persistence)

Ch 771, Stats 2014, highlights the following activities as examples of the types of services to be offered (see Appendix B.1 for more details about required and allowable activities):

servicesImportant aspects of the CAFYES program are to navigate providing services to students already receiving similarservices, in order to supplement and not supplant those services, strengthen and expand partnerships, and buildupon existing successful models and programs for sharing and replication across the community college system CAFYES is designed to support collaboration with both internal college partners (e.g., other categorical programsand other programs that serve foster youth), and external partners (e.g., county health and human services agencies, county probation, Independent Living Programs, non-profit organizations, etc.) to meet identified needs of CAFYES participants

Throughout the funding period, provisions should be made to use available data to identify, monitor and inform program development and ongoing implementation to ensure services are effectively supporting the target population and linking participants to services in the community that will support them to complete a

E Application Review and Selection Process

Steps in the evaluation and selection of applications submitted for consideration are as follows:

1 The CCCCO will do a preliminary program review in response to the specific minimum

requirements for submission as outlined in Section F.(10), in relation to: (1) application format; (2)mandatory signatures; and (3) number of copies Failure to comply with the specific minimum requirements may be grounds for automatic rejection of an application

2 Applications will be reviewed and scored by review panels consisting of one EOPS representative (from a non-applicant district), one Foster Youth Success Initiative representative (from a non-applicant district), one CCCCO staff member and one community representative

3 Application components will be scored as noted in Section I

4 District Superintendent/Chancellors will be notified if their district’s application is selected for allocation Public notification of selected districts will be posted on the CCCCO website after the Board of Governors’ approval is received

F Application Format and Instructions

The following instructions prescribe the format and sequence for the development and presentation of the application All questions must be answered and all requested data must be supplied All narrative portions of the application should be in 12 point, Calibri font, double line-spaced, and with a minimum 1-inch margin There is a one-page application contact page

Applications may be submitted by any CCC district, but only one application may be completed per district Multi-college districts may apply for program implementation at more than one college within their district This may include all colleges within the district or only a subset of the colleges Applicants are encouraged to include as many colleges as possible in the application in order to maximize the reach

of the program As the number of students to be served is a significant factor in the scoring criteria, college districts that include all colleges in their applications will score more competitively

multi-Districts submitting an application that encompasses multiple colleges should do so using a single

narrative; however, the information requested for each application question must reflect each individual college separately If the activities are the same at multiple colleges, this may be incorporated by

reference and does not need to be repeated (e.g., the proposed strategies, services and activities for College B will be the same as those described for College A above) It is also acceptable if the responses provided differ by college based on the individual needs of each college In this case, separate narratives should be provided for each section An example for the first application question is provided below.Example:

SERVICE NUMBERS

College A

The anticipated number of eligible foster youth to be served is…, etc.

When submitting an application, an applicant must follow the application format Failure to follow the format may result in the rejection of the application The application format is as follows:

Complete the CONTACT PAGE by: (1) indicating the district (along with the associated colleges) that is

submitting the application; (2) completing the project application title; and (3) providing all required contact information from the representatives noted in Appendix A.1 Complete a separate contact page with the appropriate information for each participating college

The ABSTRACT should be a brief summary of the application, which addresses each of the application’s

narrative sections and be attached directly behind the Contact Page(s)

(3)Table of Contents

The TABLE OF CONTENTS shall be on a separate page, with each component of the application’s

narrative listed and page numbers indicated The narrative pages for the application should be

numbered in sequence on each page

(4)Service Numbers Limit to four pages per participating college

Per Ch 771, Stats 2014, applicants proposing to serve greater numbers will receive priority for funding Numbers will be considered in light of the quality of the proposed program Note: Because programs are anticipated to engage in a ramp up period during Year 1 and Year 2, Year 3 numbers will

be used when evaluating ATP budgets

Compile an unduplicated list of presently enrolled current and former foster youth, identifying their student identification numbers and names, relying on these data streams; CCCCO Management

Information Systems - DataMart, Cal-PASS Plus, CCCApply, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, California Chafee Grant, Priority Registration, OPS, self-identification and from external partners Additional tips are depicted in Attachment B.3 , “Getting to Good Foster Youth Student Educational Data,” (California College Pathways) Data validation should include a reconciliation of the data

sources:

CCCCO Management Information Systems – DataMart: Identify enrolled foster youth through a Special Populations search.

CCC Apply: Identify all students who answered yes to any of the five foster youth categories

Free Application for Federal Student Aid – Identify any student who responded “yes” to question

#53 on the FAFSA

California Chafee grant applications – Identify any students who were determined through financial

aid to be eligible for a Chafee grant Make sure to use the list of eligible students and not just those

who actually received a grant

Priority Registration – Determine who is flagged as eligible for priority registration based on foster care status

Self-identification – Colleges that operate a separate support program for foster youth, such as a Guardian Scholars, program may know of students who did not identify as a foster youth on the application or through financial aid, but did self-identify to the program staff

Provide this list as an attachment to your ATP

Similarly provide a second, numbered, reconciled, unduplicated subset list of presently enrolled currentand former foster youth who are both under age 26 and are taking 9 or more units, identifying their student identification numbers and names Provide this list as an attachment to your ATP

Provide the number of current and former foster youth you propose to serve in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3

Explain how you derived your data, the strategies you will use to increase the number of students served at each college, and the basis and methodology for your specific projections of growth from Year 1 to Year 3

If you believe available data to be inaccurate, please explain the inaccuracies and describe what steps the district/and or college(s) will take to ensure greater accuracy in future years Information about strategies for improving data accuracy can be found in Attachment B.3 , “Getting to Good Foster YouthStudent Educational Data,” (California College Pathways)

those services that are targeted towards foster youth rather than services available to the student population at large or other specific subpopulations

district and/or at the participating college(s) and how it will be leveraged for or integrated into theCAFYES effort

● Describe existing collaborations comprised of representatives of multiple agencies and

organizations, in which college staff participate to support CCC students who are current and former foster youth

In a narrative format, describe the services proposed for the CAFYES program over a span of three years.The plan should depict growth from Year 1, to Year 2, to full implementation in Year 3

address the academic, social, emotional and financial needs of eligible foster youth attending colleges within the applying district

service coordination, counseling, book and supply grants, tutoring, independent living and financial literacy skills support, frequent in-person contact, career guidance, transfer counseling, child care and transportation assistance, referrals to health services, mental health services, housing assistance, unmet need grants and other related services),

Applications must address how the program will provide each of the services outlined in Section J(Funding Conditions) including space considerations to ensure students’ privacy

former foster youth, through partnership and collaboration with internal programs and partners, and external county and community-based agencies This section should explore how the district’s program will:

foster youth attending CCC, and

provide needed services and resources for CAFYES participants Highlight key relationships and staff that will be involved in this effort

(7) Program Management, Staffing and Support Limit to four pages

projects and ability to collect and report financial and student performance data as required

coordination and oversight of the CAFYES program Identify any current staff, in particular those

with experience working with the target population, who will provide CAFYES services Describe any plans to hire new staff, especially those who have experience serving or working with systems that support foster youth

collaboratively with key internal and external partners, as a means of demonstrating capacity to rely on collaboration when implementing CAFYES

partners Highlight partners’ roles and responsibilities

outcomes might include key momentum points (e.g., remediation, course completion, term persistence, and completion of 30 units) and completion outcomes (receipt of a certificate, degree and/or preparation for transfer) Note that Ch 771, Stats 2014, requires that programs report on indicators of enrollment, retention, transfer and completion rates See the California Community College Scorecard (http://scorecard.cccco.edu/scorecard.aspx) for examples of outcomes to consider For the program, key outcomes might include hiring of staff with needed expertise, securing memoranda of understanding with community-based partners, and

term-to-conducting training of college personnel on the needs of foster youth

Sample CAFYES Student and Program Outcomes

Short-term Outcomes Intermediate Outcomes Long-term Outcomes

For students:

● An increase in the number of eligible

students that complete application to

receive EOPS / CAFYES services (MIS

data)

● An increase in the number that

complete SSSP core services –

orientation, assessment and

education plan (MIS data)

● An increase in the number of eligible

students who access all available

financial aid (MIS data)

● An increase in the number of eligible

students who utilize priority

registration

For participating programs:

● District EOPS programs identify and

hire appropriate staff

● District EOPS programs nurture and

strengthen needed internal and

external partnerships (referral

network contacts)

● District EOPS programs recruit eligible

current and former foster youth

(outreach, recruitment and

enrollment numbers)

● District EOPS programs begin to

provide support services to eligible

students (MIS support service

contacts)

For students:

● An increase in the number of eligible students who remain enrolled in 9 units through the entire semester (MIS data)

● A decrease in late registration and course drops and withdrawals (MIS data)

● An increase in number of eligible students who successfully complete courses with a C or better (MIS data)

● An increase in the number of eligible students who complete at least 30 units (MIS data)

● An increase in the number of eligible students who enroll in subsequent terms (MIS data)

For participating program:

● Increase in CCC administrator, faculty, and staff knowledge about services available to current and former foster youth (Pre/post surveys)

● Increased collaboration among EOPS and other college-based programs to better support current and former foster youth (MOUs, student support contact tracking)

● Increased collaboration among EOPS / CAFYES and external partners including community-based and county-level agencies to better support current and former foster youth (MOUs, referral forms, student support contact tracking)

● Increase in the number of eligible students who receive services and support from EOPS / CAFYES (Student rosters, student support contact tracking)

For students:

● An increase in the number of eligible students who receive quality student support services and needed referrals to other needed resources (MIS support service contacts, referral numbers)

● An increase in the rates of eligible students who persist and ultimately, complete a certificate, degree and /or transfer (MIS data)

● Eligible students report satisfaction with EOPS / CAFYES available services (Exit survey or interviews)

● A decrease in number of eligible students’ who stop or drop out (MIS data)

For participating programs:

● An increase in EOPS / CAFYES programs’ capacity to create linkages with local, community, county and state resources

to provide needed services to eligible CAFYES students

● Sustainable programs created through EOPS / CAFYES formal partnerships with college-based, community and county social services and other agencies (MOUs, support plans)

program activities, strategies and practices

at rates equal to or greater than the general student population) and program (process) outcomes (e.g., program will offer weekly, small group tutoring sessions and at least 20 students will participate each week)

implementation

benchmarks and indicators related to each outcome that will allow the program to track progress

and make needed changes to ensure foster youth students’ success Programs must provide specific indicators that they intend to track to monitor both student and program success.

planning; institutional effectiveness planning, program review, etc.) will be leveraged for the purposes of this program

(9)Project Budget Plan

2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 Three separate budget planning forms – one for each of these fiscal years –should be submitted for each participating college The budget for Year 3 (2017-18) should outline costs for full program implementation When entering dollar amounts, round off

to the nearest dollar Do not type in cents.

supplement and may not supplant existing programs and services

CAFYES may also be eligible for other categorical services and should receive services from those programs These monies and services must be coordinated Budget plans must reflect this coordination

advanced CCCCO approval, after district selection Prospective purchases must be linked clearly to program activity It is understood that the budget may include more start-up costs to include equipment in Year 1, but budgets should reflect serving more students in Year 2 and Year 3

over-and-above services for CAFYES students It is also allowable to use EOPS funds for core EOPS services, and CAFYES funds for CAFYES over-and-above services for CAFYES students Districts are given discretion to pursue the strategy that is best for their location

classified, or student), direct student support (financial aid, book vouchers, transportation, child care, unmet need grants, etc.) and other authorized expenditures as described in the

Expenditure Guidelines (Appendix C.3.) Direct student support must be coordinated with

Financial Aid

consultants start to work To ensure approval of these contracts, there should be a clear andrelevant scope of work and budget that is in line with the consultant’s expertise and

experience, the students’ needs, and the program’s goals and objectives These contracts may be submitted to the CCCCO after the initial funding award has been made See the

Expenditure Guidelines (Appendix C.3.) for more information about consultant contracts.

▪ The CCCCO anticipates that the allocation for most CAFYES programs will be based on a range of $3,000 to $5,000 per student However, the application budget is subject to negotiation based upon the review panel’s funding recommendations

applications not being reviewed for funding consideration

PLAN FORM (Appendix A.3.) (any color but black ink).

necessary for the project, including the minimum three (3) statewide meetings of participating CAFYES districts to be held in Sacramento is allowed List travel purpose and estimated cost

NOTE: The purpose of the budget is to indicate whether the project is well planned and reasonable in

scope Technical errors in the budget will not necessarily result in a lower score if minor assistance from the Chancellor’s Office can correct the error.

(10) Submission Procedure

Submit five (5) hard copies of the application, including required forms (Appendix A.1 and A.2.), and

required attachments, and one electronic, signed copy in PDF format on a flash drive Staple the

hardcopy applications in the upper left-hand corners Use 8-1/2’’ X 11’’ white bond paper only Please

do not use binders or other covers and do not include appendices or other supplemental information unless specified in the Application to Participate Hardcopies needn’t contain signatures, because

signatures are mandatory on the electronic copy

Send via certified mail or deliver five (5) hard copies and one (1) signed, electronic copy of the entire application, in a PDF format, on a flash drive to:

California Community College Chancellor’s Office

Student Services and Special Programs Division

Sacramento, CA 95811-6539

Attn: Janet Fulton or Kelly Gornik

Five hard copies AND a flash drive containing the signed application must be received in the CCCCO

by 5:00 pm PST on Friday, October 9, 2015.

It is strongly recommended that applicants use a mail delivery service that includes a tracking system and evidence of receipt.

G Evaluation and Reports

Reporting of spending, programmatic activities, compliance with CAFYES guidelines and program

outcomes will be required on an annual basis in a form to be determined by the CCCCO A mid-year spending report will also be required, providing the opportunity for CCCCO to reallocate unused funds either to other districts with CAFYES programs or to Student Equity

H Rejection of Application

The Chancellor’s Office reserves the right to reject any and all applications received.

An application shall be automatically rejected if:

1 It is received at the Chancellor’s Office later than 5 p.m on Friday, October 9, 2015 Postmarks will

not be accepted

2 The application is incomplete or fails to meet specification requirements

I Rubric / Scoring Criteria

If selected, CAFYES programs will be recommended to the Board of Governors The scoring criteria are outlined in the rubric below In order to qualify for a funding recommendation, programs must obtain a minimum of 60% of the total points, excluding points for service numbers, which is equal to 66 points In order to ensure geographic diversity of programs when making final recommendations to the Board of Governors the below distribution of programs will be selected If an inadequate number of programs apply for funding that meet the minimum score in a particular region, the district slots will be reallocated

to a different region

districts in EOPS region 5): three districts

Empire/Southern California (includes all districts in EOPS regions 9 and 10): five districts

CAFYES Application to Participate Scoring Criteria

Application

Section Criteria

Max points

 The strategies proposed to increase the number of current and former foster youth served is sound.

● College staff participate in an established, cross-agency collaborative network designed to specifically support community college students who are current and former foster youth.

● Does the proposed program incorporate any evidence-based or informed models?

● Will the program be able to provide a space for participants to meet with staff that ensures student privacy?

● Has the program identified realistic and effective mechanisms for leveraging both internal and external resources?

● Will the program include partnerships with other organizations to inform, support and provide needed services and resources for CAFYES participants?

● Has the program identified mechanisms for being culturally responsive, in particular to the needs of students with a history of trauma?

● Does the district demonstrate the capacity to conduct and administer state funded projects?

● Does the application include adequate staffing to meet the needs of the target population?

● Does the project demonstrate that it will effectively and adequately utilize internal and external partners to implement the proposed program within the funding timeframe?

● Does the program staffing structure provide for adequate supervision and coordination?

15

Section Criteria

Max points

15

Project Budget

Plan

Scores will be based on degree to which responses provide an appropriate budget including:

● Do the budget items align with proposed activities?

● Do all proposed expenditures fall within eligible categories?

● Is the budget adequate to meet the program goals and objectives?

● Is the per student amount within the prescribed range?

15

Leverage

Up to 15 points to be calculated as follows:

● Amount of non-CAFYES funds divided by the CAFEYS request amount = percentage leverage

● Points = percent leverage X 15 (rounded down to nearest point)

Scores will be based on the degree to which application supplies evidence that:

 The foster youth population applicant seeks to serve has distinct, more severe needs than the general foster youth population,

 a particular lack of resources for this population exists within the district’s service region,

 local educational outcomes for foster youth are worse in the district’s service region than in the other regions

20

J Funding Conditions

● Requirements Associated with Funding

Expanding and enhancing existing EOPS programs is required CAFYES services shall not

duplicate or supplant services students receive from other programs or funding sources including, but not limited to, Extended Foster Care and other college categorical funds

Districts and colleges will be held accountable for the activities, objectives and outcomes described in the submitted application CAFYES funds are permitted to pay for the core EOPSand SSSP services received by new, EOPS students who are CAFYES eligible However, applications that leverage other funding to maximize CAFYES funds will receive additional points.) In addition, the CCCCO will develop evaluation measures to determine whether programs are achieving the desired goals of the legislation Programs that are determined tonot be serving the anticipated number of students, not providing required services and activities, not establishing and maintaining the necessary college- and community-based partnership referral network, or not achieving adequate outcomes may be subject to a loss

of funding in future years Mid-year reports will be required of CAFYES recipients, providing CCCCO the opportunity to reallocate unused funds to other, CAFYES recipients or Student Equity.

● Allowable and Required Activities

Required program activities implemented as part of the CAFYES must meet the objectives of

Ch 771, Stats 2014, that govern this funding and that are consistent with goals and purpose (see pages 7 & 8) Funded efforts should support a network of college- and community-basedpartners that will collaborate under the supervision and guidance of EOPS to increase and expand districts’ EOPS programs’ ability to identify, outreach to and provide services to eligible current and former foster youth (see Section B for eligibility requirements) Program funds cannot be used to supplant existing resources or provide duplicative services

Examples of programs, services and strategies that are consistent with the activities outlined

in (Ch 771, Stats 2014), may include BUT are not limited to the following:

 Outreach and recruitment – to identify and engage current and former foster youth

who would be likely to or who are currently attending district colleges Outreach and recruitment efforts may include services such as Summer Bridge, college readiness programs and orientation They may also include analyzing existing data (e.g FAFSA and CCCApply data) to identify and conduct specialized outreach to foster youth; and outreach to high schools, Independent Living Programs, child welfare/probation agencies, local Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program offices and other efforts to recruit foster youth to enroll in college and in the CAFYES program Funds may also be used to support foster youth to access priority registration Funding shallnot be used to support general outreach efforts but be limited to targeted and strategic efforts to engage foster youth

 Service coordination – coordination of a set of services that will support students to

achieve desired educational outcomes This should include collaboration with both on-college and off-college partners

 Counseling – to provide academic support to help eligible students to complete

academic planning, access supplemental academic support and to decide on term academic and / or career goals As with all EOPS students, programs that receive funding for this area are required to provide at least three (3) counseling and/or advising contacts per semester (two per quarter) for each student A comprehensive educational plan, tailored to the specific goals, strengths and interests of each participant must be completed and updated as needed throughout the period of participation in CAFYES

long- Book and supply grants – to provide participants with access to additional funds and

vouchers that will help them to cover the costs of books and needed supplies

 Tutoring – to link participants to necessary academic support to help them address

knowledge and skills gaps Tutoring services should be above and beyond that which

is available to the student population at large

 Independent living and financial literacy skills support – to ensure participants have

the skills they need to manage their financial resources and budget appropriately to have the resources needed to secure stable, safe and affordable housing options and cover college-related expenses Activities can include offering a student success

course, workshops on independent living skills (e.g time management, pregnancy prevention/parenting, housekeeping and food management, using transportation, accessing health care, knowledge of community resources, interpersonal skills, etc.) and financial literacy (e.g budgeting, credit, financial aid, banking, etc.) and/or one-on-one support to gain necessary skills Activities may also include partnerships with community-based organizations and other college departments.

 Frequent in-person contact – to incorporate additional contact that is over and

above EOPS’ mandatory three counseling sessions (e.g., drop-in hours, workshop participation, mentoring programs) with a counselor, other staff person, mentor, or community-based or external partner representative The student-to-counselor ratio within the CAFYES program is intended to be significantly smaller than that for the general EOPS program so that counselors and other staff and partners can devote additional time to CAFYES participants and provide a more intensive level of service

In addition, CAFYES staff should make themselves available to the extent feasible to participants in need of immediate services in response to urgent crises

 Career guidance – to offer counseling and guidance on various career options that is

associated with the interests and strengths of participants If a Career Center is available on college, CAFYES should not duplicate the center's services; however, CAFYES should coordinate its activities with that of the Career Center to provide

"above and beyond" services to CAFYES students

 Transfer counseling – to provide or connect students to available services that will

prepare them to transfer to a four-year institution or to take full advantage of additional postsecondary opportunities If a Transfer Center is available at the college, CAFYES shall not duplicate the center's services; however, CAFYES should coordinate its activities with that of the Transfer Center to provide “above and beyond” services to CAFYES students CAFYES staff should establish relationships withfoster youth college support programs at local four-year institutions in order to facilitate the transfer process

 Child care and transportation assistance – to provide resources to support

participant access to child care and/or transportation assistance such as bus passes,

gas cards, and parking passes

 Referrals to health services, mental health services, housing assistance, and other related services – to coordinate with both internal and external partners to develop

a strategic and coordinated referral system to address a variety of participants’ academic needs CAFYES staff should be knowledgeable regarding available services for foster youth and eligibility for different types of services and be able to provide referrals to these supports Note that it is not expected that CAFYES staff provide services such as housing, mental health, etc directly, but rather that they are able to provide referrals and support students to access existing resources available either

non-on college or off college through county and city agencies and/or community based providers However, in a limited fashion and going “above and beyond” what is already provided by EOPS, CAFYES may support unmet needs in these areas through the vehicle of unmet need grants