"My Education Is the One Thing I Truly Own": How Tutoring Restores Power to Kids in Care

At the Junaid & Wassia Family Foundation, we often speak about "Blooming Potential." But as any gardener knows, a flower cannot bloom if it is constantly being uprooted.

For the thousands of children navigating the foster care system, "home" is often a moving target. With every change in placement comes a change in zip code, a change in friends, and, most critically, a disruption in education. Studies show that every time a child in care changes schools, they can lose up to six months of academic progress.

We believe that education is the great equalizer. It is the one thing that, once earned, cannot be taken away. It is the bridge from a traumatic past to a self-determined future.

Rosalie’s Story: From "Failing" to "Future"

To understand the stakes, you have to meet Rosalie.

At 15, Rosalie had already lived in four different homes in three years. She is bright, quick-witted, and a natural protector of her younger siblings. But the weight of displacement and the echoes of past trauma began to show in her report card.

Math, in particular, felt like an impossible mountain.

"How am I supposed to care about $x + y$," she told us during her first session, "when I don't even know if I’ll be in this house by next month?"

Her grades were failing. Her confidence was shattered. She was beginning to internalize the heartbreaking lie that she simply "wasn't a school person."

Through our Free Tutoring Program for Kids in Care, we matched Rosalie with a mentor who offered more than just formulas, they offered consistency. Even when Rosalie’s home situation remained unresolved and uncertain, her Tuesday and Thursday tutoring sessions became her "anchor."

Slowly, the numbers started to make sense. The "F" became a "C," then a "B." But the real magic wasn't the grade; it was the shift in her eyes. Rosalie stopped talking about "if" she would graduate and started talking about "when."

"My education is the only thing I truly own," Rosalie said recently. "When I age out of care, I’m not going to be a statistic. I’m going to be a college student."

Why Your Support Matters

Rosalie is not an outlier. She is one of many students who are one stable relationship away from changing their entire life trajectory.

When you support the Junaid & Wassia Family Foundation, you aren't just funding a tutoring session. You are funding:

• Stability in the midst of chaos.

• Confidence for a child who has been told they are "difficult."

• Empowerment for foster parents who are doing the heavy lifting of healing a child’s heart while we help heal their academics.

  
  

How You Can Help

We provide these tutoring services free of charge to kids in care because we believe their potential is limitless, regardless of their zip code or family status. But we cannot do it alone.

As we move through this season of renewal, help us ensure that every "Rosalie" in our community has the support she needs to bloom.

• Volunteer Your Time: Share your expertise in Math or Literacy with a student who needs someone to believe in them.

• Spread the Word: Share Rosalie’s story to remind our community that education is the key to breaking the cycle.