As a kinship caregiver, you need to make sure the child or youth in your care gets the education they need. If the child or youth is old enough for school, work with the caseworker, the school, the foster care liaison, and the CASA worker to develop the best plan for their needs.

The child or youth must keep going to their current school to help with stability. If you think the child or youth should change schools, ask the caseworker for a "best interest determination” meeting. You, DCYF, the school district, and other people involved in their care will need to agree that changing schools is best for the child or youth.

If the child or youth needs to go to school outside of your district, DCYF and the school district will work together to set up transportation. The federal McKinney-Vento Act provides transportation and other resources for kinship children and youth.

If you have questions, ask the caseworker.

If the child isn’t old enough for school yet

There are resources for the child, including:

• Child care
• Pre-K for children ages 3 and 4 (find a location)
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition program

When the child is old enough for school, talk to the caseworker about how to get them enrolled and adjusted to school.