Ep 5: Back to School with Ernest Henderson, Jr.

Welcome to A Fostered Life, the show in which we explore the various facets of foster care through the voices of the many people who participate in the system. I’m your host, Christy Tennant Krispin, and this is episode five. 

 

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 shownotes 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! 

 

Links discussed in this conversation include:

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

ESSA At a Glance—What You Need to Know

Treehouse for Kids

Treehouse Educational Advocacy

 

Contact Ernest Henderson, Jr:

ernest.henderson@treehouseforkids.org

 

For more information and resources for foster parents, please visit afosteredlife.com, where you’ll find blog posts, youtube videos, and social media links so you can connect with others on the foster parenting journey.

If you’re interested in supporting my work at A Fostered Life, please go my Patreon page, where you can become a patron. Just one dollar a month helps offset the cost of producing these resources and enables me to offer them freely to new and prospective foster parents, and I’m grateful for the support of my patrons.

Thanks for listening and thanks for caring about foster care.