Education Justice Through Kinship Caregivers

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Kinship caregivers are a vital resource to children involved with the child welfare system and to unaccompanied minor immigrant children, but caregivers need resources and training to support their children’s education. LADCFS reported in April 2025 that 5,466 children in LADCFS placement (45% of total placements) were residing with relatives. For every one of these, an additional 14 (76,524 total) are estimated to be raised by their kin outside of the foster system (called informal kinship caregiving). Informal kinship families are acutely underserved – if they do not self-identify due to social stigma or other concerns, they lose access to benefits they are eligible for. Informal kinship caregivers also struggle to navigate a complex education system without legal guardian status. School changes, mental health challenges, and behavioral difficulties are all associated with a turbulent home environment and will impact students’ educational success without intervention from caregivers.

This project will empower kinship caregivers to support the education rights of system-impacted youth in their care. Dedicated kinship caregivers and effective education programming are two powerful stabilizing forces in the lives of young people separated from their parents. This project brings the two together, ensuring caregivers are equipped to navigate the education system and enforce children’s education rights.
The project will offer LRLC’s Know-Your-Rights curriculum to kinship caregivers, providing resources on effective communication with school personnel, special education law, and their right to advocate on behalf of their children. Additionally, the project will connect kinship caregivers to LRLC’s free education advocacy, including brief legal advice and, if necessary, legal representation to address violations of children’s education rights.
The project will
· conduct outreach to kinship caregivers at 4-5 community medical clinics
· host 2 kinship caregiver education clinics at LRLC’s office or community partners
· train 10-20 kinship caregivers on education rights using a tailored version of the organization’s TIGER curriculum
· provide 30 kinship caregivers with resources on education rights to support their self-advocacy for education services and appropriate placement for children in their care
· provide kinship caregivers and children in their care direct advocacy if necessary to address violations of the children’s right to access an equitable education

System-impacted youth experience a range of challenges to their educational success. They are legally entitled to support and services which mitigate these challenges, including tutoring, academic accommodations, and therapy for mental health and behavioral difficulties. However, kinship caregivers must advocate for this support to be implemented. Our vision for success is kinship caregivers who are educated, equipped, and empowered to advocate for education services for children in their care.
In the short term, a successful project will provide kinship caregivers with LRLC’s resources to support education advocacy. Caregivers will be equipped with a detailed understanding of education law and the procedural and substantive roadmaps they can follow to enforce education rights. In the long term, youth with kinship caregivers will experience the benefits of an equitable education: a high school diploma and tools for college or post-education career success.