By the time many young people age out of foster care, that disruption has culminated into near-insurmountable obstacles—resulting in only 50% of foster care youth graduating from high school, and just 10% completing higher education.
New research published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work highlights the educational gap for children growing up in foster care starts earlier than many realize—often in the programs designed to give vulnerable children the early support they need to thrive.
Behind the research
Ronald Ssentuuwa knows the challenges facing children in alternative care firsthand.
As a former regional program development advisor for SOS Children's Villages Uganda, regional program advisor in East and Southern Africa, and current SOS Children's Villages USA intern evaluating EduCare’s decade-long impact in Ethiopia, and a Ph.D. candidate in early childhood education at the University of Oklahoma, this research resonates with him deeply.
“The variability of findings in foster care research reinforces the need for research-informed practice that explores how foster care and early childhood education can collaboratively support foster families, enabling children to fully benefit from ECE within contexts shaped by systemic inequities,” Ronald said.
In a new study co-authored with Professor Vickie E. Lake, Ssentuuwa asks: Are early childhood education programs truly engaging foster families in ways that meet their unique needs?
The study:
— Examined Head Start and Early Head Start programs serving 1,650 children and 1,200 families in a mid-sized Midwestern city in the United States
— Gathered perspectives from center administrators, family engagement specialists and teachers through interviews, focus groups and surveys.
The results found that the universal approach used to engage families could be potentially detrimental in supporting foster families and children in foster care.
The finding: One size fits most
Many children in foster care have already experienced significant trauma—what researchers call Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). For these children, early childhood education (ECE) centers have the potential to be something incredibly powerful: a Positive Childhood Experience (PCE).
Research consistently shows that PCEs, like stable, caring relationships with adults outside the home, help buffer the long-term effects of childhood trauma and build the resilience children need to thrive.
With trusted teachers, predictable routines and a sense of belonging, ECE centers are considered one of these positive experiences that can serve as significant buffer against childhood trauma and help children heal—even for children who have experienced multiple ACEs.
In order to overcome barriers to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for children who’ve experienced trauma, schools and ECE programs need to engage foster families in ways that truly meet their needs. And according to this new research, that isn't consistently happening.
Across every dimension of family engagement studied—from daily drop-off conversations to parent-teacher conferences to home-based outreach—educators engaged foster families largely the same way they engaged every other family.
"I engage with foster families like every other," one survey respondent said. "Open communication is key."
The equitable intention behind that approach is commendable. But the research highlights that treating foster families similarly to other families inadvertently ignores the unique challenges they face:
— Placement instability means caregivers and children are frequently changing, making relationship-building with educators more difficult and less consistent.
— Multiple overlapping systems—schools, courts, child welfare agencies—create fragmented communication that families must navigate simultaneously.
— Frequent school changes disrupt the continuity of care that young children depend on for healthy development.
For a child who has already experienced trauma, these disruptions aren't just inconvenient—they reinforce a world that feels unpredictable and unsafe.
And when ECE programs apply the same engagement approach to every family, they risk missing the opportunity to make the ECE center the stabilizing, healing force it has the potential to be.
Are you a parent or caregiver of a child with ACEs? Read these five essential tips on how to talk about your child’s trauma with their educators.
The missing piece: Home-based support
One of the study's most significant findings is where engagement is—and isn't—happening.
The vast majority of family engagement occurred at the center: hallway conversations at drop-off, structured conferences, organized family events. These interactions matter.
But research consistently shows that home-based engagement—the active involvement of parents or caregivers in their children’s learning, development and well-being at home— produces stronger academic, social, and health outcomes for children.
For children in foster care, who are already navigating the effects of ACEs, the home-based gap is especially consequential.
ECE centers can only function as a source of safety, consistency and connection when educators understand the full context of a child's life.
Yet for foster families, home-based engagement was largely absent.
From gap to action: What the research recommends
But this study didn’t just identify gaps in foster family engagement and support. It also provided solutions to deliver the tailored support foster families and children growing up in care need to thrive in ECE centers.
Among the key recommendations:
— Move from relationship to true partnership. Regular, proactive communication with families develops the trust and continuity children in foster care need. The study recommends weekly, intentional check-ins as a starting point.
— Use consistent language and routines. Foster children benefit enormously from predictability. When educators and caregivers use aligned approaches across home and school, children feel more secure.
— Invest in targeted professional development. Educators expressed genuine uncertainty about how to engage foster families differently. That's not a failure of intent—it's a gap in preparation that training and programs can and should address.
— Prioritize home-based engagement. ECE center events and conferences are valuable, but they are not sufficient. Supporting foster families in their home contexts can deliver the greatest impact.
Education and care for every child
Ronald's research is a reminder that closing the gap for foster children requires more than good intentions. It requires systems, training and relationships built specifically around their needs—ones that recognize school not merely as a place of learning, but as a potential source of healing.
At SOS Children's Villages, we are committed to ensuring that every child has access to the stable, loving relationships and supportive environments to heal and thrive. The findings of this research highlight what we work toward every day: personalized, trauma-informed care that provides families and children with the support they need.
To explore SOS's resources on supporting children growing up in care, helping children heal from trauma or evidence-based parenting knowledge, visit our care resources, trauma resources and parenting guides.