For many students immersed in summer fun, the first day of school is the furthest thing from their minds. But Washington nonprofit Treehouse is gearing up for another academic year of supporting foster youth.
Treehouse supports the educational needs of foster youth statewide, including around 250 students across Clark County. Each year, its Back-to-School campaign aims to collect supplies and donations by the end of summer to support these students. Foster youth in Clark County can also enroll in Treehouse’s Graduation Success program, which provides students with wraparound resources throughout high school.
Dani Erickson, education specialist at Battle Ground High School, works side-by-side with foster youth over the course of their four-year journey. Erickson said the program doesn’t just provide supplies, but also continuous support even after they leave the nest.
“We want to make sure that no youth falls through the cracks and have access to our program,” Erickson said. “You have your education specialist, but you also have an entire organization behind you. I think it really is like, ‘What do you need?’ Like, ‘We gotcha.’ ”
Graduation Success began in Clark County in 2019 and partners with the Battle Ground, Evergreen and Vancouver school districts. The program provides mentorship, financial help, clothing, school supplies and other support to guide foster youth on their educational journey, which can often be disrupted as they move between homes.
Launch Success, a separate program, supports those same students until the age of 21 through financial assistance and career guidance as they make the transition into adulthood. Each summer, Treehouse hosts a back-to-school pop-up store at Clark College where foster youth can receive clothes, backpacks, electronics and school supplies for free.
Treehouse’s programs opened eligibility to all Washington school-aged youth in foster care last year, causing referrals to jump, said Katie Adams, the organization’s content and public relations manager.
To be eligible for Treehouse services, foster youth must have an open dependency case, shelter care order, or be in extended foster care with either the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families; the federal foster care system; or one of the tribal foster care systems within Washington.
Erickson said Treehouse can also accept referrals from foster parents and the foster care liaisons at school districts across Clark County.
But even with all the outreach Treehouse does, Erickson said she’s worried what the upcoming school year will look like with proposed budget cuts eliminating key positions that many foster youth rely on for extra support.
Erickson said she has also noticed a lack of homes in Clark County where foster children can be placed, which can potentially cause disruption and gaps in foster students’ education.
It makes fundraising, raising awareness and public support that much more important, Erickson said.
“I’ve had a lot of youth that have had to move out of Clark County simply because there’s not a foster placement available to them,” Erickson said. “When we lose access to support in school, I absolutely foresee this being a major impact in our youths’ lives. I mean, the need for Treehouse is even greater next year. I think we’re all going to feel it.”
Despite looming budget cuts, Erickson believes Treehouse’s wrap-around services and programming can stabilize the lives of foster youth.
“We want community, and we want to provide consistency and remove any barrier that would get in the way of not only graduating, but being a normal teenager and having the things their peers have easier access to,” Erickson said. “We want to supplement that. And so, I think it’s a really unique and special program.”
