Children In Foster Home Essay

Children in foster homes are at risk to many different types of stress. These stressors have side effects that may impact children’s academic performance. Research shows that 26%-40% of foster children repeat one or more grade and they are more likely to drop out of high school than their peers, 50% vs. 16% (Emerson & Lovitt, 2003). Children in foster care are 2.5 to 3.5 times more likely to be enrolled in a special education program than their peers (Burley & Halpern, 2001). Children in foster care are less likely to be placed in college preparatory classes than their peers, 15% vs. 32% (Shin, 2003). A study conducted by Courtney, Terao, & Bost (2004), showed that, on average, 17 and 18 year old foster children were reading at a 7th grade

The school system appears to be an appropriate place to make a connection with these children to emphasize the importance of self-care and education. High school students are especially at risk to the detrimental affects of stress as they are that much closer to being independent, therefore; the focus of the interventions will be for high school students. Interventions will focus on mindfulness, which has shown to be effective in the areas of stress reduction, memory improvement and increasing

Mindfulness-based interventions are frequently used in schools in a small group setting with children and adolescents who are experiencing the same challenges. Mindfulness programs have been researched and shown effective in overcoming challenges among children and adolescents. Some of these challenges include anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and externalizing behaviors (Felver et al., 2013). Results indicate that mindfulness may improve mental, emotional, social and physical health and learning (Weare,