From Placement to Graduation and Beyond
The field guide for anyone fighting for a foster child's educational future.
Watch the video
When a child enters care, their whole world changes. School becomes one more place where they can fall behind, fall through the cracks, or disappear.
Many of the adults around that child work this out alone. This book gives you the rights that protect the child and the steps to use them.
Who this book is for
- Foster parents
- Relative caregivers
- CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteers
- Social workers
- Educators
- Nonprofit advocates
You are the frontline defense for children who have already lost too much.
What you will learn
Enrollment
How to get a child into school without delay after a placement.
Educational rights
What ESSA (the Every Student Succeeds Act) and IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) guarantee.
IEPs and 504 plans
How to prepare for an IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting, speak up, and respond when the school pushes back.
School partnerships
How to talk with teachers and administrators so the child gets what the law requires.
Academic stability
How to protect continuity when placements and schools change.
Every stage
Guidance from preschool through the transition to independent living.
Why I wrote it
I wrote this book because the same questions came up in every training I taught. How do I get my foster child enrolled without delay? What are their rights? How do I handle an IEP meeting? What happens when the school pushes back?
Caregivers needed those answers in one place, available at any time, not only during a training. This is the book I wish I had when I started this work.
Get your copy
Audiobook
COMING SOON
Order the ebook, $14.99
Signed copies are not available through this website yet. Join the newsletter below to hear about book signings and events.
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Get news about book signings and the audiobook launch.
FAQ
Who is this book for?
Anyone who touches the life of a child in foster care. That includes foster parents, relative caregivers, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteers, social workers, educators, and nonprofit advocates.
What does the book cover?
It covers getting a child enrolled without delay, the educational rights guaranteed under federal law, including ESSA (the Every Student Succeeds Act) and IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), how to handle IEP (Individualized Education Program) and 504 meetings, how to work with schools, and how to build academic stability. It follows the child from preschool through the transition to independent living.
What formats are available?
The book comes as an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover. An audiobook is coming soon. Order the ebook on this page. The paperback and hardcover are available on Amazon.
Do you offer signed copies?
Not through this website right now. Join the newsletter to hear about book signings and events.
Why did you write this book?
The same questions came up in every training I taught. How do I get my foster child enrolled without delay? What are their rights under ESSA? How do I handle an IEP meeting? What happens when the school pushes back? Caregivers needed one place to find those answers at any time, not only during a training session. This is the book I wish I had when I started this work.
Can my agency license training that goes with this book?
Yes. I offer a licensable curriculum, also called From Placement to Graduation and Beyond, with eight modules and 19.5 hours of facilitator-led instruction. Visit the licensable curriculum page or contact me to request a quote.
About the author
Sharon Dunlevy, MA, DMin, is an educational advocate and the founder of Foster Care Training Today. She started as a special education teacher and spent close to two decades in children's ministry before she moved into foster care educational advocacy.
Today she holds statewide training contracts with Ohio and Connecticut, is certified to teach the National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC), and trains foster parents, caseworkers, educators, and agency staff across the country on the educational rights of children in care.
Meet SharonTraining your caregivers or staff?
License the curriculum built for agencies: From Placement to Graduation and Beyond, eight modules and 19.5 hours of facilitator-led instruction. Ohio and Connecticut versions are ready now.
