Outreach Materials Available on Expanded Medi-Cal Benefits for Current and Former Foster Youth

Public Good Projects has developed educational and outreach materials to promote awareness about expanded Medi-Cal benefits available to current and former foster youth enrolled in Managed Care Plans. Materials include a one-pager in English and Spanish, as well as a social media toolkit, tailored to youth and caregivers.

These new benefits became available with recent reforms under California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (Cal-AIM). They include services under two categories—Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports (CS). Under ECM, individuals are connected with a dedicated care manager who coordinates their full range of care including physical, mental, and dental care, as well as social services. CS provide services that help individuals with their unique circumstances and health needs. These services may include housing navigation, short-term relief for youths’ caregivers, and physical updates to homes to accommodate health conditions.  

Youth supporters can help connect youth to these benefits by encouraging them to call the phone number of the back of their Medi-Cal insurance card to see if they qualify for ECM, CS, or other free services.

New Report Finds Persistent Equity Gaps in Postsecondary Education Completion Rates for Underserved Students in California

The College Futures Foundation has released a report on postsecondary attainment rates in California, revealing that only 56% of California adults aged 25 to 64 hold a postsecondary degree or credential. While this rate has increased over time and aligns with national attainment levels, significant equity gaps remain. The report found that although 62% of California public high school completers enroll in college the year following high school graduation, only 30% earn a degree or certificate within eight years. When disaggregated by race, this number is just 19% for Black and Latinx students. Among all students enrolled in California Community Colleges, 35% are age 25 or older, with Asian, Filipino and Latinx students more likely to be under the age of 25. Additionally, the report noted disparities in college completion rates across all of California’s higher education segments. On average, students from low-income families and underserved racial and ethnic groups do not complete a degree or certificate at the same rate as their more advantaged peers. To view the full report, click HERE. 

American Rescue Plan Funding Improved Education Outcomes for Homeless Children and Youth

The U.S. Department of Education has released a study on the impact of pandemic relief provided to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY). Data from 11,760 LEAs that received ARP-HCY funding showed improvements across four domains examined—homeless student identification rates, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, and subject matter proficiency. In three of four domains, homeless student outcomes matched or surpassed pre-pandemic levels in school year (SY) 2018-19.

Among LEAs that received ARP-HCY funding, homeless student identification rates rebounded from the pandemic, with a 28 percent increase in the number of students identified as homeless between SY 2020-21 to 2022-23, three percentage points higher than the increase among LEAs nationwide. Chronic absenteeism decreased among LEAs that received ARP-HCY funding between SY 2021-22 and 2022-23 from 52% to 47%, fairly consistent with LEAs overall (51% to 48%). The graduation rate of homeless students in LEAs that received ARP-HCY funding surpassed their SY 2018-19 (pre-pandemic) graduation rates, and outperformed national trends for all students experiencing homelessness with a difference of nearly three percentage points.

Academic proficiency increased across all subjects for homeless students since SY 2018-19. Notably, students in LEAs with ARP-HCY funding had a math proficiency rate of 29 percent, compared to the overall national rate of 23 percent, and the rate among LEAs without ARP-HCY funding of 18 percent. Finally, proficiency in reading/language arts for students in LEAs with ARP-HCY funding surpassed national rates by 10 percentage points, potentially reflecting the impact of ARP-HCY program efforts. To view the full report, click HERE.

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