Supporting a Foster Child’s Education: A Guide for Foster Carers
Education is an essential part of growing into a functional member of society, but not every foster child has come from a home where education was seen as important. In many cases, foster children have a negative relationship with school and education, which means you may need to go the extra mile to shift their mindset. Below, you’ll find a short guide for supporting a foster child’s education.
Keeping Connected with School
Some foster children struggle to trust adults, making it difficult for them to open up about their lives, which means they may not feel comfortable telling you about school. To get around this, it’s important to build a positive rapport with class teachers and other important members of their school, which will allow you to keep informed of any problems that may need addressing.
The Power of Sharing Books
Whether you’ve registered with thefca.co.uk or another reputable foster agency, you’ll learn all about how important it is to spend quality time with foster children. You can even turn this time into an educational opportunity. For example, you can share your favourite books by reading to your foster children and letting them read out loud. Not only does reading improve comprehension, but it’s also a fantastic device for encouraging creativity.
Making Friends and Childhood Development
Having friends as a child is essential for proper development. Therefore, you should encourage your foster child to interact with others and build meaningful friendships. This may not be something they’ve learned about before, so start at the very beginning with how to start conversations and what an appropriate conversation looks like. When they’ve made initial contact, you can help develop this into a real friendship by facilitating interactions outside of school.
The Power of Extracurricular Activities
The education system isn’t only about learning the core subjects and passing tests, it’s about growing into a skilled individual that can make meaningful contributions to society. This is why there are plenty of extracurricular activities for children to get involved in.
Start a conversation with your foster children to find out what their interests are, and then work together to find an activity that will suit their personality. If you struggle to engage with your foster children despite trying, then consider contacting your caseworker for a little extra help.
Getting Involved with Homework
Homework has been part of the education system for a very long time, and it’s not going to change anytime soon. However, your foster child may have come from a home environment that didn’t see it as important, which means you may face some pushback when encouraging them to engage in it. To integrate homework into a regular schedule, add small amounts of homework after school and ensure you’re always available to help if need be.
Education is a critical element when it comes to living life to the fullest, which is why you have to do everything in your power to encourage your foster children to interact with their school work and other educational opportunities.
