FAIRMONT – Consider the number of kids in foster care in West Virginia.
Right now, there are 6,094 children and teens here in that circumstance, according to numbers culled by the state Department of Health and other sources.
And this is in a place that only has a total population of 1.7 million people, give or take.
Compare those numbers to, say, Oregon, which charts 4,800 kids tended to by foster parents, among its more than 5 million residents.
Appalachia differs socially and economically from the Pacific Northwest, but there is a commonality that makes the whole thing, well, academic.
Or not.
That’s because here, there and everywhere, foster kids just don’t go on to college.
Well, they do – but just in numbers that are miniscule compared to their peers who come from more stable home environments.
The National Youth Foster Institute notes that only around 4% of young people coming out of foster care (and high school) will make it to college for completion of a four-year degree.
And the college-going rate for students from that community pursuing two-year courses of study clocks in around 2% to 6%, the institute further notes.
Fairmont State University wants to change that with a program, that right now, is the only one of its kind in the nation.
The school is partnering with KVC West Virginia, a nonprofit child welfare agency and mental health treatment provider to open the doors of academia to the above population that might never get the opportunity otherwise.
It’s called “Middle College,” and it launches this fall on Fairmont State’s main campus on Locust Avenue.
Qualifying students will live in a supervised residence hall, while taking courses to earn their high school diploma, and a two-year college degree, at the same time.
Opening the door
Fairmont State President Mike Davis said he can’t wait to see what will happen – once that inaugural group of students, who will begin their studies in August, go forth.
That goes back to even more numbers that aren’t always in favor of foster kids, related to education and their place in society.
Nationally, about 50% of foster kids graduate high school – and every year in the U.S. about 20,000 of them or so simply age out of the system.
They’re kicked loose, with little education or vocational training, into a workforce world where jobs are scarce and competition is fierce.
Some empowerment is in order, Davis said.
“Fairmont State will provide transformational opportunities to a vulnerable, but deserving population,” the president said, “and unleash the vast potential of these students.”
Middle College is open to youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who are currently in foster care.
What you make of it …
The program will accept 50 students this fall and while there’s no cost to attend, there is a caveat, said Sarah Marshall, a KVC West Virginia coordinator who will help manage Fairmont State’s Middle College operation.
That is, students have to simply want to go, she said. Truly.
“Young people in foster care are resilient,” she said. “We’re looking for students who are highly motivated and enthused about this opportunity for their education.”
The program is also designed to help students recoup academic losses resulting from spotty attendance in school – if they’ve shuffled from multiple foster homes during their experience in the system, Marshall said.
Applications are being accepted through June 21, Marshall said, and students will receive help in filling out the forms. An interview is also part of the process.
Visit fairmontstate.edu/middle-college for full details.
Brent Lemon, president of KVC West Virginia, said he likes the spirit of the program.
He likes that Gov. Jim Justice, several state lawmakers and the state Department of Education also have a buy-in.
And he appreciates, he continued, that professors will link up with case managers, therapists and other specialized staff to maximize all the possibilities for a population, which, too often, comes up short in society through no fault of its own.
“Middle College offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for youth to achieve their educational dreams,” Lemon said, “while receiving unwavering stability and support.”
