Graduation Success
Building a Path to Graduation
Youth in foster care have tremendous potential, hopes, and dreams for their future. But they also experience added challenges—like placement changes, school changes and other disruptive barriers—that affect school performance and their view of their future.
Our Graduation Success program works with high school youth in foster care, pairing them with a Treehouse Education Specialist who provides educational support and a connection to resources. Education Specialists also partner with the youth’s existing support system— caregivers, social workers, teachers and school counselors—to provide services when they need them.
While in Graduation Success, students work one-on-one with Treehouse Education Specialists to:
- Create their own plan for high school graduation and beyond
- Build problem-solving and self-advocacy skills
- Connect to resources like tutoring, credit retrieval and college and career prep
- Recognize and develop available support systems around them, from caregivers to social workers, to school teachers and counselors
- Resolve education barriers like school transitions, special education needs, disciplinary actions and credit retrieval
The Graduation Success program currently serves 9th–12th grade students who have experienced foster care, including those who are enrolled in an eligible GED program across Washington state.
The Graduation Success service area currently includes:
- Clark County, ESD 112:
- Battle Ground
- Evergreen
- Vancouver
- King County, ESD 121:
- Auburn
- Bellevue
- Federal Way
- Highline
- Kent
- Lake Washington
- Renton
- Seattle
- Shoreline
- Pierce County, ESD 121:
- Bethel
- Clover Park
- Franklin Pierce
- Puyallup
- Tacoma
- Snohomish County, ESD 189:
- Edmonds
- Spokane County, ESD 101:
- Central Valley
- East Valley
- Spokane
- West Valley
- Deer Park
- Mead
- Tribal Partners, no ESD restriction:
- Lummi
- Muckleshoot
- Puyallup
- Stillaguamish
- Tulalip
Meet Our Graduation Success Teams
All education staff work one-on-one with high school students experiencing foster care to create academic goals, build problem-solving and self-advocacy skills and so much more.
Graduation Success has been culturally adapted to also support youth in Tribal jurisdiction with community-grounded Tribal Education Specialists (TEdS).
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FAQs
Graduation Success
Treehouse Education Specialists work one-on-one with students to provide proactive education planning, monitoring, and coaching support services. The Graduation Success program is designed to be long term, and while youth must be in out-of-home care to be initially referred, they will continue to receive services, regardless of dependency status.
Educational Advocacy
Treehouse Educational Advocates work with schools, social workers, caregivers, and parents to remove barriers to school success for youth in foster care and protect student’s legal educational rights. The Educational Advocacy program addresses specific issues when the need arises.
Research, years of practice, and continual evaluation have guided Treehouse to the Graduation Success program model. Graduation Success is based on two evidence-based practices, which include Student-Centered Planning and “Check and Connect,” a comprehensive student-engagement intervention pioneered by the University of Minnesota. Treehouse has tailored these program models to address the specific education needs of youth in foster care, combining education planning, monitoring and coaching support led by a Treehouse Education Specialist.
To further promote a sense of belonging and a youth’s engagement in school, Graduation Success utilizes “Check and Connect,” an evidence-based, comprehensive student engagement intervention demonstrated to improve graduation rates for youth that receive the intervention.
Many schools where Treehouse Graduation Success services are offered have in-school Education Specialists who act as a daily consistent presence for Treehouse students within the school building. Education Specialists monitor a youth’s daily attendance, behavior and course completion.
Treehouse Educational Specialists partner with a team of existing supports in a youth’s life, including caregivers, social workers, teachers and school counselors, to create a portrait of each youth’s individual developmental needs and provide timely, appropriate supports and services. If a student is not on track—perhaps there is prolonged absence from school, discipline challenges, or poor grades—the Educational Specialist is there to provide supports and interventions.
Treehouse’s provides funding so that youth can participate in the activities and school events that help them build friendships and become fully engaged in school. Treehouse can help pay for school fees (like ASB cards, lab costs, graduation needs, dance tickets, etc.), athletics, art and music programs, driver’s education, skill/certification classes, summer camp and other academic and enrichment related expenses. Learn more.
No, Education Specialists do not offer tutoring support, but they can help youth connect to existing tutoring resources in the community. We also have a resource center that includes tutoring resources.
