WE CARE FOSTER CARE INC
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Mission Statement
The mission of We Care Foster Care is to provide children in foster care and the child protection system with educational programs, community-connected resources, and the unique opportunities they need to thrive.
About This Cause
Children in foster care are underserved and disadvantaged. Michigan has approximately 13,000 children and young adults in foster care, over 3,000 of which are in Wayne County. Disproportionate numbers suffer from a grim parade of mental health issues and poor educational outcomes, a burden advocates say Michigan’s safety net fails to fully address. In order to understand the seriousness of this issue, here are some sobering facts to consider: * Students lose 4-6 months of academic progress every time they change schools; * Foster children attend an average of 6 different schools in their K-12 experience; * Only 40% of foster care children graduate from high school on time, which is 15% lower than kids who are experiencing homelessness, and half the rate of all students; * 3 of every 10 foster kids drop out of high school; * 71% of foster-care girls are pregnant by age 21; * 1 in 5 foster youth will be incarcerated by age 21; * Unfortunately, only 3% of foster youth graduate college – despite the fact they have access to fully funded college tuition through the Michigan Education Trust. To address the needs of these vulnerable youth, We Care has created the following two programs: EduCare: Provides children in residential foster care facilities with arts-infused programs targeting both literacy and the social, emotional, and academic skills these children lack. In addition we also provide curriculum development (mathematics and the arts), trauma-informed teacher training, middle/high school mathematics courses, arts courses (music, improv, drawing), STEAM courses, mindfulness programming and tutoring at an accredited strict discipline academy and two residential facilities. LifeCare: Supports foster youth once they leave residential facilities by helping them secure meaningful employment, food security, transportation, and housing along with community connected goods and services. Our impact: We currently work with approximately 75 kids in care on a daily basis. In the 2022/23 academic year we accomplished the following: EduCare Impact: * In partnership with Mathematics Plain + Simple, provided 850+ hours of classroom instruction (Filling in the Gaps) * Middle Schoolers went from 0% to 100% academic growth on state standardized assessment * High Schoolers went from 25% to 75% academic growth on state standardized assessment * In partnership with GooGenius, provided 110 hours of classroom instruction (Drawing on our Strengths) * In partnership with Detroit Creativity Project, provided 50 hours of classroom instruction (Improve with Improv) * Provided 400+ hours of classroom instruction (Melody Matters) * Approximately 50 ukuleles provided to youth upon discharge from residential program * Provided 50+ hours of classroom instruction (STEAM) * In partnership with Inner Explorer, provided 1,800 minutes of mindfulness instruction LifeCare Impact: * Provided over 1500 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables * In partnership with Clark Hill, delivered approximately 50 Thanksgiving meals * In partnership with Building Beds 4 Kids, delivered over 150 new beds, sheets, blankets, and toys * In partnership with Neuman Needlers and MDHHS, delivered over 500 hats and scarves, and approximately 50 winter coats * In partnership with BUF of Michigan and MDHHS, distributed over 500 new backpacks * In partnership with Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court and MDHHS, provided almost 100 families with holiday gifts Provided the following services to individual youth in need: * In partnership with Shades Optical, new glasses * Completion of social services applications: YVAC, WIC, etc. * Academic support to earn high school diploma/GED Although we are pleased with the impact we’ve had so far, there is so much more that needs to be done and that’s where you come in. We Care. We hope you Dare to Care, as well. If so, here are some examples of how your contribution could support our We Care Kids: $5 could provide incentive stickers for a class; $10 could provide a classroom resource book; $15 could provide a set of drum sticks; $25 could provide ink toner for printed classroom materials; $50 could provide a new ukulele; $75 could provide holiday gifts for three children; $100 could provide a holiday meal for a family of four; $250 could provides 5 one-hour lessons and teacher prep time per week; $500 could provide course materials for a mathematics class; $10,000 covers the cost of one EduCare course for an academic school year (teaching artist salary and prep time). The possibilities are endless. Every dollar you give goes towards the educational and life support of children in desperate need of help. We thank you in advance for your consideration. We Care. And we know You Care too.