Increasing Access to Postsecondary Education for Expectant and Parenting Foster Youth: A Call to Action

The presenter will be Svetlana Shpiegel, Associate Professor at the Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy, Montclair State University. Her presentation will provide an overview of research on postsecondary educational attainment among expectant and/or parenting foster youth (EPY). Disparities in EPY’s access to higher educational will be discussed using data from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), and recommendations for critical supports and services to assist these youth will be provided. The added challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic will also be discussed.