Reaching successful futures: Experiences of participants in the education and training vouchers program

Abstract

Youths who have been in foster care face many challenges in accessing and completing postsecondary education. The Chafee Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) program is a federally funded program that assists current and former foster youths in accessing postsecondary learning opportunities by providing scholarship money for their education. This study used an online survey to gather information from ETV program participants about their sources of emotional, academic, and financial support during both secondary and postsecondary education. Findings indicate that youths involved in the ETV program report relatively high levels of out-of-school time involvement during secondary school, multiple opportunities for meaningful connections with caring adults, and a strong sense of personal responsibility. They also report high levels of financial stress and challenges in accessing appropriate resources while in postsecondary educational settings. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for research and practice.