Fostering Futures℠

Foster Youth EP 7 - Helping Students Show Up: Child Welfare and Attendance in Action

In this episode of Fostering Futures with CAHELP, Athena Cordero sits down with Renee Castillo, Director of Child Welfare and Attendance at Apple Valley Unified School District, to explore how attendance, stability, and student well‑being are deeply connected. Renee shares her experience across nearly three decades in education, including lessons learned from her time in Vermont and how those insights shaped her work supporting students today. The conversation breaks down the true role of child welfare and attendance moving beyond compliance to focus on connection, trust, and removing barriers that prevent students from accessing school. Athena and Renee discuss the unique challenges foster youth face, including placement changes, mandated appointments, and trauma that impacts both physical and emotional attendance. They also explore how schools and districts support families through interventions, home visits, and collaborative efforts with community partners before ever reaching formal processes like School Attendance Review Boards (SARB). This episode highlights the importance of relationships, communication, and empathy in supporting students and families, while offering real examples of how schools can create stability, build trust, and ensure every child has access to learning. Highlights * Renee explains the full scope of Child Welfare and Attendance (CWA) beyond compliance. * Insight into how trauma impacts both physical and emotional attendance. * Real examples of supporting families through homelessness and crisis. * Breakdown of interventions used before formal processes like SARB. * Emphasis on building trust with families through communication and relationships. * Discussion of challenges schools face in supporting attendance today. Key Takeaways * Attendance challenges are often driven by barriers, not neglect. * Emotional disengagement can impact learning just as much as physical absence. * Building trust with families is essential for long-term success. * Early intervention and communication prevent escalation to punitive actions. * Foster youth need consistency, stability, and strong relationships to succeed. * Schools, families, and agencies must work together to support student outcomes. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jpa.cahelp] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cahelp_jpa/] | www.cahelp.org [https://www.cahelp.org] | podcast@cahelp.org [podcast@cahelp.org]

Episode 18 - What Happens to Speech Services at Age Three?

In this episode, Pam Bender fills in as host and is joined by Iván Campos, Program Specialist at CAHELP, for an in‑depth conversation about speech and language services from an educational lens. Iván brings his experience as a bilingual speech‑language pathologist and early intervention specialist to break down how families can navigate speech and language supports across systems. The conversation explores the differences between medical and school‑based eligibility, how early intervention services transition at age three, and what parents need to know when requesting school assessments and participating in IEP meetings. Pam and Iván also discuss multilingual language development, how to distinguish language difference versus language disorder, and why families should continue speaking their home language. Listeners gain practical strategies for supporting language development at home, advocating during IEP meetings, and understanding parent rights throughout the special education process. This episode offers parents, educators, and service providers clear guidance, reassurance, and tools for supporting children through speech and language services, while keeping the focus on empowerment, connection, and doing what works best for each child. Highlights * Iván explains the differences between medical and school‑based speech services. * Clear guidance on early intervention and the transition process at age three. * Insight into multilingual language development and evaluation. * Practical tips for parents entering IEP meetings. * Strategies families can use at home to support language growth. * Emphasis on cultural identity, access, and parent empowerment. Key Takeaways * Medical and educational speech services serve different purposes and use different eligibility criteria. * Parents must initiate school assessments; services do not transfer automatically. * Multilingualism does not cause language delays. * Parents have the right to interpreters and to ask questions during IEPs. * Consistent interaction matters more than technology for language development. * Understanding the process empowers families to advocate effectively. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jpa.cahelp] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cahelp_jpa/] | www.cahelp.org [https://www.cahelp.org] | podcast@cahelp.org [podcast@cahelp.org]

Foster Youth EP 6 - Supporting Foster Families Beyond Placement with Tawnie Rice From On the Rise

In this episode of Fostering Futures with CAHELP, Athena Cordero speaks with Tawnie Rice, Administrator at On the Rise Foster Agency in Barstow, California. Tawnie shares her unique perspective as both a former foster youth and a social work professional who has worked her way up through nearly every role within the agency. Tawnie walks listeners through what foster family agencies do, how they differ from county placements, and why additional layers of support, such as trained visitation monitoring, advocacy, and trauma‑informed services can make a critical difference for foster children and families. She explains intensive services foster care, extended foster care for young adults, and the realities of supporting children who have experienced trauma. Throughout the conversation, Tawnie emphasizes the importance of patience, hope, consistency, and presence. She offers honest insight into common misconceptions about foster youth, what it truly takes to become a foster parent, and why attachment is not something to fear, but something children deeply need. This episode highlights how lived experience, compassion, and community‑based support can change outcomes for foster youth and the families who care for them. Highlights * Tawnie shares her lived experience as a former foster youth and her journey to becoming an agency administrator. * Insight into how foster family agencies differ from county placements in support and advocacy. * Explanation of visitation monitoring and why trained supervision matters for children. * Walkthrough of what it takes to become a foster parent and the importance of “checking your heart.” * Discussion of trauma‑informed care, hope, and consistency in supporting foster youth. * Real‑world examples of how agencies advocate for children’s mental health and behavioral needs. Key Takeaways * There are no bad kids, only children responding to trauma. * Foster parents must be open to learning new skills and disciplinarian approaches. * Attachment is not a risk; it is essential to healing and development. * Hope is built through consistency, follow‑through, and showing up. * Foster youth often deeply miss and love their biological families. * Agencies provide critical guidance that helps foster parents navigate complex situations. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jpa.cahelp] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cahelp_jpa/] | www.cahelp.org [https://www.cahelp.org] | podcast@cahelp.org [podcast@cahelp.org]

Foster Youth EP 5 - From Foster Care to Leadership: Paul Durham and the SBCSS Foster Youth Program

In this episode, Athena Cordero sits down with Paul Durham, Program Coordinator for the Children Deserve Success Team at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS), to explore what it truly takes to support foster youth through education, stability, and connection. Paul shares his dual perspective as both a system leader and someone who personally experienced foster care, offering powerful insight into the realities that foster youth face, including frequent school changes, housing instability, and the emotional toll of starting over again and again. He explains how San Bernardino County has built a coordinated, prevention‑focused approach that brings together school districts, child welfare, probation, community colleges, universities, and community agencies to improve outcomes for foster youth. The conversation highlights why school stability, mentorship, and belonging are critical to graduation and long‑term success. Paul also details innovative, data‑driven programs like school‑based mentoring, CASA partnerships, and college transition supports that are improving attendance, reducing discipline, and increasing graduation rates. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of how systems can work better together and how individuals can get involved to make a meaningful difference. Highlights * Paul explains SBCSS’s coordinated approach to supporting foster youth. * Shares lived experience navigating foster care and school instability. * Why school stability is critical for foster youth academic success. * Overview of mentorship, CASA, and school‑based support programs. * How data and partnerships drive prevention‑focused systems. * Ways community members can support foster youth. Key Takeaways * Foster youth outcomes improve when systems work together. * Stability, belonging, and mentorship are as important as academics. * Prevention is more effective than crisis response. * One consistent, caring adult can change a young person’s trajectory. * Housing and transitions remain the biggest challenges. * Community involvement plays a powerful role in foster youth success. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jpa.cahelp] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cahelp_jpa/] | www.cahelp.org [https://www.cahelp.org] | podcast@cahelp.org [podcast@cahelp.org]

Episode 17 - When the World Isn’t Built for You: Neurodiversity & Mental Health

In this episode, Athena Cordero sits down with Jennifer Cork, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Doctor of Social Work, author, and keynote speaker who is also as autistic. Jennifer brings both professional expertise and lived experience to a powerful conversation about neurodiversity, mental health, and what autistic individuals truly need to thrive, especially during life transitions. Jennifer shares her journey from elementary education into social work, disability services, and eventually private practice, where she now works almost exclusively with neurodivergent children, teens, and adults. She explains why many of the challenges her clients face, such as anxiety, depression, burnout, and trauma, cannot be addressed in therapy alone, but are rooted in systems that were never designed to support neurodivergent minds. The conversation explores masking, emotional regulation, anxiety‑based behaviors, and how autism often presents differently in women and girls, leading many to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed later in life. Jennifer also discusses the curriculum she developed to address critical gaps in mental health care for neurodivergent clients and the research behind her book, What’s Your Anxiety Level? As the keynote speaker for the April 14th Regional Captain X Conference, Jennifer previews her talk on navigating life transitions while supporting the mental health needs of autistic learners, highlighting why the transition to adulthood is one of the most vulnerable and overlooked periods. This episode offers clinicians, educators, parents, and autistic individuals practical insight, compassionate understanding, and hope rooted in possibility. Highlights * Jennifer shares insight as both an autistic individual and a licensed clinical social worker. * Clear explanation of neurodiversity and neurodivergence for parents, educators, and clinicians. * Discussion of anxiety‑driven behaviors and emotional regulation challenges. * Why autism often presents differently in women and girls. * Exploration of masking and its emotional impact over time. * Preview of Jennifer’s keynote and clinician training on life transitions. Key Takeaways * Many mental health challenges stem from systems not built for neurodivergent minds. * Anxiety in autistic individuals is often misunderstood as behavioral issues. * Autism in women and girls is frequently missed or diagnosed later. * Masking can help navigate systems but often leads to burnout. * Life transitions require intentional planning and explicit supports. * Autistic individuals need to hear possibility‑focused narratives. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jpa.cahelp] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cahelp_jpa/] | www.cahelp.org [https://www.cahelp.org] | podcast@cahelp.org [podcast@cahelp.org]