On Tuesday, May 21, during National Foster Care Month, Ohio foster care children and youth advocates will hold a rally outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to build support for House Bill 164.
The bipartisan legislation, also known as the bill to “Establish the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program,” was first introduced by Ohio Representatives Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati). It would provide scholarships to any Ohio resident placed in foster or non-certified kinship care on or after their 13th birthday.
The bill would also require the state to hire a full-time school foster care liaison who would work with public and private children’s services agencies to maintain foster students’ schooling during times of housing transition.
Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio supports the legislation as it comes during a time when less than ten percent of American foster youth go on to obtain a degree, according to the National Foster Youth Institute. The legislation, which already has more than 30 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, could transform the lives of children and young people across Ohio if ultimately approved.
Thirty-five states, including Texas and Florida, have already voted in favor of similar legislation. Ohio Senator Michele Reynolds (R-Franklin County) has also introduced a companion to House Bill 164 in her chamber.
“Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio is committed to bringing dignity, hope, and joy to the foster youth of Ohio,” says Matthew Tippit, associate of the Children’s Defense Fund Policy. “We hope this legislation would address the glaring absence of foster youth in our state’s universities and institutions of higher learning across the country.”
