Road to Success is an innovative long-term, one-on-one 3rd-12th grade tutoring program for youth in foster care with The Foundling. Road to Success goes above and beyond the expectations of a typical tutoring program by providing true mentorship to students and working closely with families in a coordinated effort to improve student academic achievement.
Youth in foster care face significant challenges in their lives that contribute to substantially lower performance across every important indicator of academic success, from reading and math standardized test scores, to school attendance, to high school graduation, to college enrollment and graduation. In order to close this achievement gap, The Foundling launched Road to Success. Unlike most tutoring programs, Road to Success tutors are full-time employees of The Foundling, and meet with students for 1-2 hours weekly in the young person’s home or nearby in the community. Tutors are hired and trained to tutor in a broad range of academic subjects while creating a patient, supportive environment for students, and become a valued mentor and coach to the young people we serve.
Additionally, Foundling staff serve as educational advocates, working directly with schools, the Administration of Children’s Services, and community partners to ensure that students in foster care are connected with the services they need to succeed. Common interventions include academic planning, suspension advocacy, college counseling, truancy prevention, school transfers, and recommendations for special education evaluation and implementation.
Since its launch, Road to Success has demonstrated consistent positive outcomes, including increased rates of graduation, credit attainment, attendance, and college applications and acceptance.
