Foster youth: transition from high school to postsecondary education.

Existing law provides for the formal out-of-home placement of young persons into alternative residential settings, which is known as foster care. Existing law establishes a system of elementary and secondary education in this state, including public and private elementary and high schools, as well as a system of postsecondary education in this state, including the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, and independent institutions of higher education. Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensing and regulation of community care facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Social Services. A violation of this act and regulations adopted under the act is a misdemeanor. This bill would require the department to establish a process to authorize educationally based residential programs. This bill would require that the programs support and strive to achieve home-based family care and permanency. The bill would specify that the educationally based residential programs serve certain foster children, as specified. This bill would also require the department to collect and report to the Legislature information about the benefits of the programs, as specified. This bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions, thereby changing the definition of an existing crime and creating a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.