This resource provides guidance on how to assist youth who cannot obtain parental information to complete the FAFSA. Federal law allows youth to qualify for financial aid without providing parental information if they qualify as an independent student or if they qualify for a dependency override due to “unusual circumstances.” This guide explains what unusual circumstances are and […]
Final Comments on PEP Proposed Regulations
YLC Policy Bulletin: Federal Financial Aid
Congress passes legislation that will make it easier for students to get financial aid! Congress has passed legislation that will greatly simplify the financial aid application process by 2023. with specific benefits for youth with prior involvement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Changes include: Shortening and simplifying the Free Application for Federal […]
Financial Aid for Juvenile Justice System-Involved Youth
This resource is meant to help youth who are about to graduate from higher school and/or who are under the age of 26 with juvenile justice system involvement maximize the amount of financial aid they receive to attend college. The guide covers what financial aid is and how to get it, offers tips for troubleshooting […]
CA Assembly Bill 1354 – Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides basic information about Assembly Bill 1354, signed into law in 2019 and effective on January 1, 2020. The AB 1354 fact sheet describes which youth are eligible for online college courses, what programs are available, and who is responsible for providing them. The fact sheet can help youth and parents understand the programs […]
CA Senate Bill 716 – Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides basic information about Senate Bill 716, signed into law in 2019 and effective on January 1, 2020. The SB 716 fact sheet describes which youth are eligible for online college courses, what programs are available, and who is responsible for providing them. The fact sheet can help youth and parents understand the programs […]
Education Rights & Responsibilities Toolkit for Juvenile Justice System Involved Youth
This toolkit provides education-related information and resources regarding the rights of juvenile justice system involved youth and the responsibilities of system stakeholders. Stakeholders can use the toolkit to understand their obligations in meeting the education needs of youth with juvenile justice system involvement. Parents and advocates can use it to support youths’ education-related rights and […]
A Positive Youth Justice System
The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) is designing a transformed juvenile justice system that is rooted in communities, that is based on restorative justice practices, and that invests in youth, families, and communities. This NICJR report lays out ten steps to transform the juvenile justice system to improve outcomes for youth and protect […]
Closing the Extracurriculars Gap: Prioritizing Extracurricular Activities as a Key Intervention for Children and Youth in Foster Care and Juvenile Justice
This Youth Law Center report describes the benefits of extracurricular participation for youth, families, and communities; highlights the legal and policy supports for extracurricular participation for system-involved youth; lists system barriers to extracurricular participation; explores ways to overcome those barriers; and makes recommendations to increase extracurricular participation for system-involved youth. The report notes that extracurriculars […]
Juvenile Court Student Transition Statewide Work Group Report and Recommendations to the Legislature
Assembly Bill 2276 (Bocanegra, 2014) required a statewide work group to study successful transition programs and to develop recommendations of how to better support youth transitioning from juvenile court schools back to schools in their communities. This report highlights recommendations that came out of three meetings of the work group, composed of stakeholders from probation, […]
Educational Injustice: Barriers to Achievement and Higher Education for Youth in California Juvenile Court Schools
Report by the Youth Law Center of the of the barriers to education for youth confined to detention facilities within California’s juvenile justice system. In the report, Youth Law Center examines areas of challenge for the system and fundamental ways in which court schools have missed opportunities to support youth in reaching their goals and […]