How to Help Homeless Students and Youth in Foster Care Succeed in Education After High School
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
3:00-4:30 pm EDT
Each year,
approximately 1.5 million children and youth experience homelessness and
400,000 youth are placed in foster care. This webinar will offer
secondary school personnel, college access professionals,
and state education agency staff a national overview of the support
needs of this student population. Presenters will highlight the
promising support practices underway by NAEHCY, GEAR UP and other
national and state programs that represent innovative efforts
to reduce disparities in education outcomes. Topics to be covered
include:
o Introduction to NAEHCY
o Statistics on Homelessness and Students
in Foster Care
o McKinney-Vento Act
o Every Student Succeeds Act
o How do students become homeless?
o Why are so many students in foster
care?
o Financial assistance for homeless
o Barriers faced by Homeless Students
and Students in Foster Care
o Impact of homelessness and foster
care on the education of students
o Community and College resources
for Homeless Students and Students in Foster Care
o National resources for Homeless
Students and Students in Foster Care
Presenters:
Corinne Nilsen has been the director for the state-wide GEAR UP grant
since January 2004. Prior to that, she served as the director for
Disability Support Services (TRIO) and as assistant director for Student
Support Services (TRIO) at Wichita State University.
As a strong advocate for education, Corinne has volunteered on numerous
committees and boards that support learning, at-risk children, foster
care and college access. For the past 21 years, Corinne has written
grants, managed grants, received funding or in-kind
donations of over 66 million dollars. A native Texan and military
spouse, she has lived and travelled around the United States and Europe,
but now calls Kansas home.
Corinne has a Master of Education in Counseling from Boston University
and a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University.
Cyekeia Lee, is the Director of Higher Education Initiatives with the
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
(NAEHCY). She works with K-12 staff, service providers and higher
education professionals to streamline higher education
access for homeless youth. Prior to joining NAECHY in 2012, she worked
at Wayne State University as a Financial Aid Administrator. One of her
primary goals was to provide financial aid assistance to homeless and
foster youth. Cyekeia also previously worked
as a Life Skills Coordinator at Ozone House, a community based
organization that assists runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth. She is
dedicated to providing access to higher education for underserved
students. She received a BS in Communication from Eastern
Michigan University, and an MA in Counseling from Wayne State
University.
Ginny Donohue, founded On Point for College in April 1999 after 8 years
of helping students from a local homeless shelter to enroll in college.
She launched the program out of the trunk of her car. Ginny Donohue
has received awards such as the Syracuse University’s
Martin Luther King “Unsung Hero Award”, the 2004 Post & Standard
Achievement Award, 2008 NCAN Excellence in Leadership Award, 2010 &
2014 Purpose Prize Fellow, Ben and Jerry’s “Citizen Cool” award and
Traditional Home’s “Classic Woman Award”. Since 1999,
On Point for College has enrolled over 4,600 students in 216 colleges
and universities. In 2012, On Point for College replicated its program
in New York City and Utica, New York. Prior to founding On Point for
College, Ginny Donohue spent over 14 years in
the private sector where she gained corporate experience, beginning as a
general accountant and ending as CFO for WYNIT. She also held
leadership positions at Black Clawson, Harland Simon and PPC.
