Foster Youth Cumulative Enrollment

CDE Process
On a daily basis, both the data in Foster Youth Enrolled reports (at the end of the academic year) and the data in the Former Foster Youth reports (at the end of the academic year) are used by CDE to identify students who were in foster care at any point in the year. This data is mapped to the corresponding SELPA associated with the foster data. 

Following are the two steps* used by the California Department of Education (CDE) in making this determination for each SELPA: 

  • Step 1 (Data in CALPADs): Students are included in an LEA’s cumulative enrollment if there is an overlap in foster status and their enrollment at an LEA.
    1. A student is counted once in each LEA they were enrolled (regardless of the number of enrollments within the LEA).
    2. A student is counted in each LEA they were enrolled (regardless of the number of LEAs they were enrolled).
    3.  A student is counted in the LEA they were last enrolled (regardless of the number of LEAs they were enrolled).
  • Step 2 (Map to SELPA): The foster youth students identified in Step 1 are included in a SELPA’s cumulative enrollment if there is an enrollment in a district within the SELPA’s boundary.
    1. A student is counted once in each SELPA they were enrolled (regardless of the number of enrollments within the SELPA). A student enrolled in more than one LEAs will be counted once in the LEA they were last enrolled.
    2. A student is counted in each SELPA they were enrolled (regardless of the number of SELPAs they were enrolled).

Foster Youth data is most accurately reflected at Annual processing (Annual Certifications). 

*Subject to change. 

Suggested Workaround
CDE extracts the CALPADS data on a daily basis, and uses the cumulative number for funding. This process creates a challenge to SELPAs and their Member LEAs as it may not be possible to tie exactly to the Foster Youth Cumulative Enrollment count.

As a workaround, it has been recommended that SELPAs and Member LEAs may want to select a few dates (i.e. Census Day, End of Year Day, first day of school) and use this sample data to provide a reasonable confirmation of the cumulative enrollment count. Optionally, a SELPA's governing council may consider this same process for its own funding allocations to Member LEAs.