Delaware’s Aspire 529 Program aids in Foster Youth Education
DELAWARE – From Foster Care to a Four-Year College, a program created to assist students who’ve faced financial difficulties while in foster care, now have the opportunity to seek higher education.
The State of Delaware has a program called Aspire529 that gives stipends to foster youth. State Treasurer Colleen Davis says is key to inspiring our foster youth, to obtain a secondary education. “So, whether it’s college, trade school, technical school, we just want to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to pursue their professional goals.”
Trenee Parker, Dir. of Delaware Division of Family Services says youth that experience foster care usually have a lot of traumas, which at times affects their education. She says that having a support system is key to students moving forward.
This program extends to foster youth ages 18-26 who are aging out, but age is not the biggest focus according to Parker. “20, 25, 26, 18.. those are all just numbers. What we need to do is create a community around our youth and young adults, that supports them, regardless of their age… For our youth that experience foster care, one of the things that many of them don’t have is the support of family… Having some financial support to move forward, is always a wonderful plan, and it’s a great investment in the future.”
Davis says that this is extremely important for foster youth and that they are suffering the most. “Of our entire population in Delaware, they are the highest as far as need. They’re the most vulnerable, they tend to have the highest risk for, like I said, homelessness and poverty.”
Parker says if you truly want to make a difference in a child’s life, consider becoming a foster parent. She says it’s an investment in the future, and anyone who wants to support can reach out to Delaware’s Children Department.
