We're closing the summer slide for foster youth - one tutoring session at a time

Summer should be a time of rest, exploration, and growth. But for many foster youth, the long break between school years quietly undoes months of hard work. Researchers call it the summer slide - and it's one of the most preventable obstacles standing between a young person and the future they deserve.

This summer, our Educate to Empower program is taking direct aim at that gap. Across a growing suite of initiatives - built in collaboration with trusted community partners who are doing this work every day - we're meeting foster youth where they are and giving them the tools they need to move forward. From academic support to career exposure, life skills to literacy, this is what community showing up looks like.

Keeping the momentum going: Summer tutoring

At the heart of Educate to Empower this summer is our tutoring program, made possible through our partnership with Seamark Ranch. Research consistently shows that students can lose two to three months of reading and math progress over summer break - for foster youth already navigating instability at home, that regression can compound quickly and quietly.

Working alongside the dedicated team at Seamark Ranch, our tutors meet with young people one-on-one and in small groups to reinforce the skills they built during the school year, fill in any gaps, and make sure every child walks into the next grade confident and prepared. This isn't drill-and-repeat - it's personalized, relationship-based learning in an environment where every child feels seen.

“Summer shouldn't mean falling behind. We're making sure it doesn't.”

Opening doors: Career readiness for the road ahead

A strong academic foundation matters - but so does knowing how to translate it into real opportunity. That's why this summer, we're proud to be collaborating with a community partner equally committed to expanding what's possible for foster youth: participating in Career Readiness Cohorts alongside Fostering Connections.

These cohorts bring together young people for hands-on exposure to career pathways, professional skills, and the kind of practical knowledge that rarely gets covered in a traditional classroom. From learning how to present confidently in an interview, to exploring careers they may never have considered - it's about opening doors and building the belief that those doors are meant for them, too.

Growing the network: What's coming next

Educate to Empower is growing - and so is the community behind it. In the coming months, we're expanding into two additional areas of support, each developed with care and in coordination with partners who understand the specific needs of foster youth.

The summer break is simply too long for many young readers. Without consistent access to books and structured reading practice, children risk falling behind on literacy benchmarks - and that gap only compounds over time. We're currently developing a Summer Reading Program in partnership with a community organization dedicated to early literacy, designed to keep every child reading, growing, and arriving at the new school year on the right academic foot. We'll be sharing more details soon - and we're excited for what this collaboration will make possible.

For foster youth approaching adulthood, a different kind of support becomes critical. Aging out of the system - without a safety net, a family home to return to, or the foundational knowledge most young adults take for granted - is one of the most vulnerable transitions a person can face. Through our Life Skills Workshops, developed alongside partners who specialize in transition-age youth, young people gain real-world capabilities that make independence not just possible, but sustainable. Sessions cover:

• Financial literacy: understanding income, savings, credit, and building a healthy relationship with money

• Budgeting: practical tools and habits for managing day-to-day and month-to-month expenses

• Day-to-day essentials: navigating housing, employment paperwork, healthcare, and more

• Planning for the future: setting goals, building support networks, and knowing where to turn for help

These aren't abstract lessons. They're the building blocks of a stable, self-determined life -and every young person aging out of foster care deserves access to them.

We're closing the summer slide for foster youth.

Give a foster youth their best shot at September.

Help us make this summer count - sign up to support Educate to Empower today.