It’s back to school time, and for youth in foster care, that can either be a really good thing or a really, really hard thing (or a bit of both.)

Today I’m speaking with Ernest Henderson, Associate Director of Eastern Washington Education Programs at Treehouse.

Ernest not only brings the professional insights of someone who devotes his career to helping foster youth succeed in school, but he also brings a background of being a former foster youth and a former foster parent. In this episode we discuss some of the ways a foster parent can support their child in school, how to navigate communicating with your child’s teachers and school personnel, and tips for preparing your foster youth to succeed in a new school. We also touched on positive discipline for youth in foster care and ways to empower and encourage our kids.

Ernest mentioned a few things for foster parents to learn more about, including the Every Student Succeeds Act, and I’ve included several helpful links in the show notes for this episode—so be sure to check those out.

I really appreciated what Ernest had to share, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!