1 February 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) released its annual Foster Care Report Card on Jan. 31.
There were 5,113 students in foster care in Kansas in 2023, an 18% decrease from the 2020-2021 period. The DCF highlighted success in increasing graduation rates for children in foster care in the 2022-2023 school year.
“I credit these encouraging numbers to our focus on cooperation, coordination, and communication between DCF, the Department of Education, Case Management Providers (CMP) education coordinators and local school districts,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard said. “The partnership between groups ensures that the students have access to educational supports and services.”
Some other highlights included:
Graduation rates for children in foster care increased by 5.3%.
Chronic absenteeism decreased 3.9%.
Attendance rates increased to 89.1%.
Dropout rates decreased slightly.
2.3% more students enrolled in at-risk preschool programs or special education services.
The full DCF Foster Care Report card for 2022-2023 can be found below:
Foster Care Report Card 2023 by Colter Robinson on Scribd
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.